The Brief

Hangar 18 was asked to develop a Spring waste-reduction campaign -  to coincide with the high season for home cleaning and renovations, when visits to dumps and recycling depots increase sharply.

The Prescription

Reviewing Metro Vancouver statistics, Hangar 18 discovered a startling fact:

The total garbage produced in the district each year is equal to 156 large bags for every one of the 2.3 million residents in Metro Vancouver. To drive that very personal point home, we created a series of newspaper, online and transit system ads that dramatically depicted “you” and “your share” of the region’s garbage. We also created an attention-getting guerrilla tactic for the campaign: a pick-up truck carrying a mountain of garbage bags, which was driven to high traffic locations around the Lower Mainland over a two-week period.

The Result

Post-campaign surveys by Metro Vancouver showed 45% recall of the month-long campaign. The garbage tower/truck served as an engaging photo opportunity for municipal officials, attracting considerable attention from both residents and reporters.