This city in Sweden is taking a risqué approach to garbage with 'sexy trash cans'

Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden, is taking an innovative approach to the issue of littering. Its latest initiative to clean up the streets involves "sexy trash cans." The city has installed trash cans that respond with racy audio messages whenever they're fed trash. Through this, the city's local authorities hope that more people will use trash cans to deposit their rubbish, CNN reports. This is not the first time the city of Malmö has implemented talking trash cans. In 2017, it introduced 18 such trash cans in the city. However, only two remain operational. Hopefully, the newer, sexier trash cans prove effective.

Pedestrians who drop trash into one of the newer trash cans in Malmö can expect to be rewarded with extremely positive feedback from a sultry female voice. The voice offers a range of programmed responses, including, "Oh, right there, yes!", "Come back soon and do that again!" and "Mmm, a bit more to the left next time." Two of the innovative bins can currently be found on the city's Davidshallsbron bridge, famous for its display of shoes worn by Swedish icons. Perhaps the bridge will now become known for its innovative trash cans as well.

Marie Persson, the section chief at the city’s roads department, explained why local authorities implemented the new trash cans. "The sentences are part of the campaign’s intention to get more people to talk about the dirtiest thing there is: littering. The stuff that ends up in our streets, squares, and sea," she shared. "So please go ahead and feed the bins with more rubbish… Yes, just like that." The official said that the recorded voice was "a new, humorous way to get across [their] message" and provide "a positive reinforcement to people who do the right thing, by giving them a laugh." According to her, the voice belongs to "a famous person" who wishes to remain anonymous.

The city of Malmö first bought 18 talking cans in the year 2017, though today only two still speak. During the COVID-19 pandemic, local authorities thanked depositors for adhering to social distancing regulations, but as lockdown regulations ease up, the city road department's section chief believes it is time for a new method to encourage proper garbage disposal. The city's latest innovation should come as no surprise, as Malmö has long been renowned as a pioneer in eco-friendly living. For instance, the city's eco-drive is best highlighted by the 2001 project "Bo01 - City of Tomorrow." The project has transformed a polluted, defunct shipyard in the city into a green, sustainable living district. All energy needs for homes, shops, and office buildings in the area are met with renewable sources, with food waste converted to biogas to run local buses.