Bonnorange awareness campaign Recycling gets some help from on high

Bonn · An orange angel on stilts was out and about in Bonn city centre offering fabric bags in exchange for plastic ones during the European Week for Waste Reduction.

Stilts, a refuse collector’s outfit and wings: some passersby could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the Bonn “Schmutzengel” (refuse angel). The cherub, appointed to the “highest refuse office”, was swapping disposable shopping bags for reusable material ones. Bonnorange wants to raise awareness of the need to reduce packaging during the European Week for Waste Reduction.

“The background is the high use of plastic bags,” explained Antje Vödisch from Bonnorange. “In Germany alone, 6.1 billion plastic bags are used. If laid side by side they would circle the equator 46 times.” Vödisch said around 184,000 tonnes of plastic was used annually to make the bags. She said they had decided to use the “Schmutzengel” at this time of year as a humorous way of highlighting the environmentally friendly alternatives.

And you could not miss him. Standing over two and a half metres tall and equipped with an extra-long broom and 100 orange fabric bags, the angel strode through the city centre on stilts. Each time he saw someone with a plastic bag he spoke to them and persuaded them to swap their bag and even helped repack their purchases.

14-year-old Julius Köster accepted the angel’s offer without hesitation. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “You don’t throw away a fabric bag as quickly.” Marianne Moss from Bad Godesberg was also thrilled by the unusual campaign. “A great thing,” she said. “I am also against plastic bags. This kind of jute bag is perfect for everyday and is really practical.”

The angel was played by Reinhard Witt from Wöllstadt in Hesse, known as one of the circus and juggling duo the Spinning Twins. “Our world should be cleaner,” said Witt. “I use fabric bags at home – but they aren’t such a nice orange.” Employees from the city cleaning company were also on hand to give tips on how to avoid using plastic bags. For example, you should refuse any unrequested packing of goods in plastic bags at the till and instead carry them in a rucksack or basket.

Original text: Dennis Sennekamp. Translated by Kate Carey.

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