Today everyone is celebrating World Dustbin Day. Businesses and individuals are pulling out all the stops to make this day special. But first, a bit of history:
You know how almost everything seems to be getting a day of its own? The environment, water, and even pancakes? We thought that it was only fair that dustbins get a day too. After all, what would we do without them? Where would we put all our garbage? All the rubbish would just lie around and make the place dirty. The contribution made by dustbins to humanity is enormous.
Of course, when there’s a day, brand marketers find a way... Let’s dive right in and take a closer look at how World Dustbin Day is being ‘celebrated’:
Food and Beverage: Every food delivery service is celebrating this day. You can get discounts on all food and beverage orders simply by applying the code Dustbin2020 and WDD2020. One popular food delivery app even promised a free drink with your next order if you sent them a picture of you disposing of your food packaging in a bin. More and more people are throwing away their empty food packs just to be able to get a free drink. But the best deal of all is to have a party and get enough food for everyone, delivered to you in a dustbin. Mmmm!
Retail: E-commerce stores are not far behind, with a plethora of special offers and discounts. Customers could win a premium wastebasket worth Rs. 1,500/- on shopping for Rs. 4,000/- and above (“terms and conditions applied”, customers were cautioned). Sales are up 200% across e-commerce sites thanks to this day. If you’re not a Binner, you can’t be a Winner!
Dustbin Manufacturers: Dustbin manufacturers, of course, are the main attraction for customers. People wait all year for this day just to buy a new litterbin. Not only are prices slashed, but ‘buy one get one free’ offers, mean you can get a bin for every room in the house at a fraction of the cost. The manufacturers were also quick to remind patrons that by buying a dustbin on World Dustbin Day means that you never forget your anniversary. “Every WDD henceforth becomes a celebration of not only what your bin does for you, but also the day you were first united with your trusty trash can.” 237 pure gold dustbins have also been sold today. For some, it was an investment but others said that they just wanted a really shiny garbage can.
Social Media: Social media platforms are overflowing with WDD-themed pictures. Everyone is posting selfies with their little dumpsters and #ILoveMyDustbin, #MyDustbinRules, #WorldDustbinDay, and #WorldsBestDustbin were all trending. There are pictures of people hugging and kissing their brand-new bins, while others show those that have been scrubbed clean just for today. People are also rounding up every bin in the house to get nice family portraits.
Brand campaigns: On a more serious note, many brands have launched campaigns in support of dustbins. An international cosmetic brand is focussing on equality, with the slogan, “All bins are beautiful, all bins are equal.” A well-known sports brand showcases the hardships dustbins face with its Tough as a Bin campaign that has a five-minute video on everything thrash cans go through all day. Interestingly though, no public bins, that are placed in street corners and keep the city clean are featured in any of these campaigns.
Contests: One local store has even collaborated with the Dustbins of Mumbai website to give a prize to the trash can with the best story. Owners all over the city are sending in entries of their heart-warming tales about how they brought their little trash-eater home. The prize is an impressive hamper of bin cleaning products and a chance to have your story published on the website. The announcement of the winner is always eagerly anticipated.
Today everybody loves and appreciates their dustbins. They are washed, polished, and photographed. Tomorrow they will go back to being receptacles for garbage and in two days they will be ignored altogether. But that’s beside the point. Today a lot of people are making a lot of money because of World Dustbin Day. The bins themselves have been silent though all the goings on. No one is quite sure what they make of all this. It doesn’t matter. People have a reason to go shopping, a reason to post (more) selfies, and a reason to celebrate. While marketers have another field day.