WasteMINZ ensures Kiwi safety with Chemistry campaign

AUCKLAND, Today: Runners and cyclists find rubbish and recycling trucks a hassle. For kids, they’re exciting. For most of us, they’re a necessary inconvenience that delays us a bit.

WasteMINZ has a clear message for everyone: Give them space. Give them grace.

WasteMINZ launched the Trash Talk campaign via Chemistry to share this message. Using rubbish and recycling items voiced by New Zealand personalities Tammy Davies, John Leigh, and Lauren O’Hara, these quirky characters speak to specific audiences, encouraging safe behaviour around the trucks.

The campaign features a fast-talking coffee cup held up by a jogger, a worried balloon thinking of children, and a laid-back pizza box empathising with drivers. These characters turn a serious message into something entertaining and engaging.

Danny McClure, Chair of the WasteMINZ Health & Safety Sector Group Steering Committee, shares, “This campaign takes a lighthearted approach to educating road and footpath users about the dangers of rubbish and recycling trucks – and how waiting 30 seconds for the truck to pass is safer for you and the truck driver.”

Danny adds, “We believe the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ humour will make this campaign effective and enduring, without discounting the seriousness of potential outcomes when things go wrong through poor choices.”

“Most of us don’t really take much notice of rubbish and recycling trucks on the road – we tend to just overtake the truck and carry on.”

“The WasteMINZ team is very excited and proud to support this campaign. We look forward to seeing what wisdom our trash-talking friends come up with in the years to come.”

WasteMINZ has partnered with various organisations and councils to spread the message across New Zealand. The campaign is launching on Meta and in partnership with Stuff to raise awareness about giving rubbish and recycling trucks space to keep everyone safe.

Marija Ewan, Chemistry’s Business Partner, explains, “Most of us don’t really take much notice of rubbish and recycling trucks on the road – we tend to just overtake the truck and carry on. But what if the truck turns out at the same time? Disaster!

“It’s so important to stop for a minute and think about the dangers. The Trash Talk campaign asks us to remember that whenever we see a rubbish or recycling truck, just take a moment to put yourself in the driver’s shoes to keep everyone safe,” says Marija.

Chemistry is an independent Brand Response agency working with leading retail, automotive, financial services, and consumer brands like State, AMI, NZI, Edgewell, Leaderbrand, and MTF Finance.

CREDITS

Client: WasteMINZ
Sector Projects Manager: Lena Kovac
Agency: Chemistry
Executive Creative Director: Susan Young
Senior Creatives: Sarah Chernishov, Matt Watts
Social Creative Lead: Amelia Petrovich
Senior Designers: Paolo Alinea, Sophie Mossop
Business Partner: Marija Ewan
Media Agency: Sneakers
Animator: David Fearson
Producer: Kimberley Warren
Audio Post: Radiate Studios