Colchester's new Ballot Bins: A vote for a cleaner city

PUBLISHED: 19 October 2023


Colchester City Council has unveiled four Ballot Bins in the city centre.

Ballot Bins are a fun and effective way to reduce cigarette litter by encouraging smokers to dispose of their butts properly.


Ballot Bins work by asking smokers a question and inviting them to vote by putting their cigarette butt in the slot underneath their preferred answer. The cigarette butts stack up behind the clear glass front in two columns, showing which answer is more popular.

The Ballot Bins have been installed at the following locations:
  • Outside Trilogy Nightclub on High Street
  • Head Street (in the vicinity of Walkabout)
  • Outside the Slug and Lettuce on High Street
  • St Nicholas Square (in the vicinity of Three Wise Monkeys and the Romano Lounge)
“Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world and are a blight on our streets and our environment,” said Councillor Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Waste.

“They’re also a hidden single-use plastic. Ballot Bins are a fun and engaging way to encourage smokers to dispose of their butts properly and are a proven way to reduce cigarette litter by up to 46%. We’re excited to bring this innovative solution to Colchester and help keep our city clean and tidy.”

Pictured above,
L to R: Neighbourhood Warden Richard Dunn and Cllr Goss with one of the new ballot bins.

Page last reviewed: 19 October 2023

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