Talking trash bins to reappear in Helsinki this summer

“One of the sure signs of summer in Finland is that the trash bins start talking,” says a trash bin.

At the end of last summer four talking trash bins appeared in the centre of Helsinki. They attracted media attention around the world and as far away as the Fiji Islands. This summer the talking trash bins return to the streets of Helsinki. This time there will be eight of them with all new greetings.

Trash bins teach Finnish to tourists

The talking trash bins greet passers-by and encourage them to throw their trash away. They are never at a loss for words, whether the subject is culture or politics. This summer tourists will be delighted to hear that the talking trash bins speak not only Finnish and Swedish, but also Japanese, English, German, Polish and Russian. Tourists can also learn the basics of the Finnish language, such as: “One of the sure signs of summer in Finland is that the trash bins start talking.” The voice behind the talking trash bins this year is Simo Frangén, a popular Finnish TV celebrity. The multilingual trash bins can be found along Esplanadi, Senate Square, Sibelius Monument and Temppeliaukio Church.

Jammin’ trash bins

The sounds of some of this summer’s talking trash bins have been created by high school students from the Kruununhaka district of Helsinki. These musical trash bins can be found Esplanadi, Kaivopuisto Park, Sinebrychoff Park and the Old Church Park.

The student trash bins are part of this year’s youth campaign by the Helsinki City Public Works Department. The primary media of this campaign is the talking trash video website www.roskavideo.fi where school pupils can upload videos about littering and the benefits of a clean city either with their teachers or by themselves. The website also features a unique Film Kindergartenthat introduces the art of making videos. The teachers include film director Johanna Vuoksenmaa and filmmaker Jan Nyman.



Talking trash video from 2008: