For Fish’s Sake
Flippin’ frustrated about riverside litter? Us too... 'For Fish’s Sake (#FFSLDN)' launched in 2017 to explore new ways of tackling riverside litter along the River Thames, using bright messaging and playful interventions to grab attention about this waterway woe.
The problem
The Thames is one of the world’s most iconic rivers. It's the cultural, financial, and historical artery of London, but the amount of litter entering the river is on the rise.
According to Thames21, over 200 tonnes of rubbish is cleared from the Thames each year. That’s the equivalent to 43 bottlenose whales (the type found in the Thames in 2006) …and this isn’t including what sinks to the riverbed or what gets washed out to sea.
7 in 10 Londoners think the Thames is too polluted for fish to survive, but it’s home to 125 species of fish, and even dolphins and sea horses (Towerbridge.org)! For those who prefer pound signs to porpoises, the Thames is worth billions of pounds to the UK economy and provides thousands of jobs (Port of London Authority).
Our approach
From the Cabinet of Curiosities showcasing some of the more unusual things that pulled from the river (including a love poem in a bottle for Kae Tempest!), to a community gallery and films showcasing locals who rely on the Thames for their livelihoods, floor vinyls and Ballot Bins - we pushed the boat out to grab people's attention about this fishy issue.
After the success in a central, touristy area, we were interested to see if similar approaches could work in a more residential area. So, in 2018 #FFSLDN made its way upstream to Putney! This time featuring a faux ‘Fishmonger’ displaying freshly caught litter and voting bins, alongside eye-catching messaging on railings and lampposts.
Photos of the different interventions trialled for For Fish’s Sake.
The impact
#FFSLDN at London Bridge ran from May-September 2017 and achieved:
1. A significant reduction in litter:
A 32% reduction in riverside litter in the London Bridge area.
The voting litter bin (our predecessor to the Big Ballot Bin) placed by the river was popular and the area surrounding it experienced an average 20% drop in litter.
2. An increase in awareness of the issue of littering and changed behaviours:
Raised widespread awareness with 45 pieces of coverage with opportunities to see/hear of 121 million. #FFSLDN tweets had a reach of 8.1M.
This led to office workers reporting they were 62% less likely to litter.
People reported they were 38% more likely to travel to bin their rubbish responsibly.
Get involved
Want to know more? Check out our For Fish’s Sake 2018 impact report here.
Interested in rolling out this campaign? Our Neat Streets campaign pack has some similar assets!
