“Why shouldn’t we make disposing more inviting and adventurous?”
Yes, cigarette littering can definitely be a problem. And the problem isn’t just the unsightly cigarette butts that are left scattered all over the ground. A recent article stated,
“Around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are tossed on sidewalks and streets each year, eventually filling waterways with plastic and chemicals that kill fish.“
Governments have imposed fines on cigarette littering, but that only works if you catch someone in the act. Chances are that only a small percentage of people will actually be caught. And not being caught becomes the motivation, instead of doing the right thing.
That is where Fumo comes in! Fumo uses positive reinforcement to motivate people to dispose of their cigarette butts properly. This Dutch designed trash receptacle looks like a giant cigarette pole. When someone approaches, the lights blink as a “teaser”, so people realize that this isn’t your standard trash receptacle. As described in another article, once a cigarette butt is “deposited”, its 56 LED lights start flashing like a disco ball and one of 50 different audio clips plays like a jukebox.
Each Fumo trash receptacle can be customized to its location. For instance, a carnival may have more loud and crazy music, while a hospital may select a more calm classical piece. One of the designers stated in an article:
“We believe that using fun as a methodology to cause some certain behavior is much more effective than creating laws or restrictions,” Reints says. “If you can get people to enjoy the message that you want to bring them, then you’ll have a much bigger impact with the message itself.”
And Fumo is definitely making an impact, as people are picking up discarded cigarette butts to have fun with Fumo themselves. Want to see how much fun it can be? Take a look for yourself by watching the clip below:
