Dive Brief:
- Moline City Council approved a pilot program that will place ads onto lids of residential trash cans.
- 1,900 ads are expected to generate $12,160 in revenue for the Illinois city. The advertisements will be placed on the bins for a one year time period.
- Funds raised will be put into the sanitation fund. Leaders are anticipating the creation of a self-sustaining "enterprise fund."
Dive Insight:
Most community members are indifferent about the advertising. Prior to the installation of new lids, each resident included in the program will receive a letter about the ads.
According to WQAD, Moline's mayor Scott Raes said "…we've encouraged all of our department heads… to think outside the box in these tough economic times. So, we look for ways where we can try to capture some other types of revenue where the taxpayers aren't carrying the full burden. This is actually a pretty unique way to cover that."
Cities have also placed ads onto fleets, and officials in Philly voted unanimously to place advertising onto municipal garbage trucks. In each case, increased revenue is cited as the driving force behind the decision.
