Behaviour change / Content & creative for Shire of Augusta & Margaret River

The Best We've Ever Bin

Waste education campaign

The Best We've Ever Bin

The Shire of Augusta and Margaret River is a place of natural beauty and incredible biodiversity. In 2019, The Shire appointed Icon Agency to create a waste education campaign to launch a new, more sustainable “3-Bin” household waste collection service with long term benefits for the local community and environment.

Along with a new yellow bin to separate recyclables, residents received a new green (FOGO) food and garden organics bin, the contents of which are composted and diverted back to local growers and farms in The Shire.

With more recycling and foodstuffs diverted from household rubbish, residents also received a smaller red rubbish bin to help The Shire to cut down on landfill by up to 70%, and reduce CO2 emissions in the process.

Create a movement of community support

Like any council mandate, people are often resistant to change π particularly when they’re encouraged to do more sorting of waste than they’re used to and accept a rubbish bin that’s half the size of the old one.

Our challenge was to educate residents and visitors to The Shire on the benefits of the new service, get them to embrace the change, and feel good about their contribution to sustainability.

The Best We’ve Ever Bin!

The people of The Shire take absolute pride in their community and the world around them. They have their own folk music scene, characters and personality. Icon's creative team developed a central theme: ‘The Best We’ve Ever Bin’ to tap into the unique culture of The Shire and talk about the positive benefits of the new service.

We wrote a toe-tapping feel-good song with quirky lyrics to engage and embed the idea of what goes in each bin. This was used as a soundtrack for an animated film and the cut downs are due to run in local cinema, radio, social and digital channels, along with posters and illustrated collateral.

In true local style, there’s even a fridge magnet, so you don’t forget to put your FOGO out. At time of launch, the new service has been warmly received and supported by the people of The Shire.