Belfast 'Movie-Makers' Focus On Litter

There'll be a touch of Hollywood glamour around Belfast City Hall today with the creation of a mini movie set to launch a council campaign.

The grounds of the iconic building are being used to set the scene for Belfast City Council's latest anti-litter campaign which is particularly targeting 18-35 year-olds. The theme of the campaign is 'Littering. It's not a good look' and it will use a series of retro pop art-styled advertising to promote its message.

Councillor Ian Adamson, Chairman of the Health and Environmental Services Committee, said: "Since we started the anti-litter campaign in 2004, we've been highlighting the problem of litter on our streets and have issued more than 8,000 fines; but unfortunately there are still too many people who admit to dropping litter, and who think it's acceptable to do so.

"We all know that you shouldn't drop litter and that anyone caught will get a £50 on-the-spot fine; but this new campaign will hopefully make people stop and think about how others see them, and what a disgusting habit it is when someone drops their cigarette butt or spits out their chewing gum on the street," the veteran representative said.

"Every year we spend around £11m on cleaning the streets and picking up litter - money which could be better spent on community initiatives and council services to benefit ratepayers."

So, it'll be a case of 'Lights, camera, action!' as Belfast's very own A-listers act out a series of roleplays in the temporary tinsel town, under the watchful eye of the 'director' and his crew.

Cleansing Manager Jim Ferguson said: "In many ways we went back to the drawing board with this campaign to come up with some fresh ideas about getting across the anti-litter message, in a way which will influence public behaviour for the better - especially among our target audience.

"We thought this would be a fun way of introducing the new campaign and grabbing people's attention by creating a bit of a buzz about City Hall.

"We’re also hoping the new artwork will catch people's eye and make them stop and think about their own littering habits."

See: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/£50fine

(BMcC/GK)