Ballot Bin
Often imitated but never bettered, the Ballot Bin is the world’s first customisable voting ashtray that is proven to cut cigarette litter by up to 73% (Ellipsis Earth, 2023).
The Ballot Bin started as an experiment in Villiers Street in 2015 to nudge smokers to vote with their butts rather than throw them on the floor. The first Ballot Bin asked the question, ‘Who’s the best footballer in the world? Ronaldo or Messi’. It took social media by storm and went viral, reaching 6 million people online.
Now you can find Ballot Bins in 43 countries around the world, in spaces managed by city councils, local pubs and global corporations, collecting an estimated 15 million cigarette butts a year.
The butt of the problem
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. It’s estimated that a whopping 2.7 million cigarette butts are dropped daily in the UK alone (Keep Britain Tidy, 2022).
They’re also a hidden single-use plastic, as the filters in cigarette butts contain cellulose acetate. With over 6 trillion cigarettes manufactured each year, that’s over a million tonnes of plastic (National Geographic, 2019).
Washed from the streets into gutters, or dropped into drains, cigarette butts often end up in the sea, contributing to ocean pollution. The filters break down into microplastics, and leak chemicals that are toxic to wildlife such as fish.
Our approach
Which is the better pet, cats or dogs? Whether you like one, both, or none, a question like this awakens the brain, boosts morale and taps into our instinct to participate with a reply.
The Ballot Bin uses the same technique to engage and nudge smokers to ‘vote’ with their butts rather than drop them on the ground. Each Ballot Bin has one customisable question and two responses along with a window to display the used butts, so a public opinion poll builds competition as old butts pile up on either side. Questions can be tailored to things like the location, community or a seasonal event.
Manufactured with an anti-rust and weatherproof finish, the Ballot Bin is long lasting and durable, and can be mounted on a range of surfaces, from poles to a wall and onto railings.
The Ballot Bin in action
The impact
Since it first went viral, there are now over 5,000 Ballot Bins in 43 countries, saving an estimated 15 million cigarette butts from being littered a year. The Ballot Bin has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and has featured on Jamie Oliver’s Twitter feed.
Testimonials
“We have even seen people coming up and picking cigarette butts off the floor and put it in the bin to cast their votes.” — Nick, Creative Engagement Manager, Arcola Theatre
“The Ballot Bin uses the nudging behaviour change approach and is a fun way to get people engaged in putting butts in a bin rather than just stubbing them out on the floor ... We were able to reach 9 million people via Twitter during the first week of our campaign.” — Philip Robinson, CEO, Keep Australia Beautiful
“It’s just a great way to tackle cigarette litter. When we put it on social media the response was incredible. It got so much praise from councillors, the public, media – right across the board.” — Alison Dewey, BID Manager, Southend BID.
Get involved
Help others bin their butts: Ballot Bins are available to order online through www.ballotbin.co.uk, or talk to us at ballotbin@hubbub.org.uk
Flick through our ‘Plastic Butts’ 2022 cigarette litter campaign here.
Got the ballot bin bug? Check out our ‘Pick Your Side’ street litter campaign featuring our biggest ballot bin to date!
