Industry body sells 80,000 bin stickers to “chuck” Morrison out — and the Liberals are livid

When it comes to Canberra, it’s time to take out the garbage — that’s the view of Wayne Smith, the brains behind the giant bin stickers declaring in loud uppercase letters that the Coalition has got to go.

It began as the Smart Energy Council’s federal election campaign launched in December but has since grown into a breakaway brand called Smart Voting.

Now, Smith says he’s sold 80,000 of the wheelie bin stickers that feature puns like ‘Chuck them out’ and ‘Bin him’ alongside photos of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce.

“Bin stickers are an innovative and humorous way in which Australians can send a message,” Smith tells SmartCompany.

And that message is simple, he continues.

“For nine long years, the Liberal-National Party government has taken every opportunity to trash renewables and action on climate change. Enough is enough,” Smith says.

“We desperately need a new government and a crossbench with people committed to action on climate change and integrity in government.”

But the stickers have not been without controversy — NSW Liberals president Philip Ruddock’s Hornsby Shire Council warned residents that garbage collection services could be suspended if wheelie bins had the stickers on them.

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Last Wednesday, Ruddock — who is the mayor of Hornsby — denied he had anything to do with the threat and instead pointed the finger at council officers.

“The council officers took the decision in relation to the bins — which are council property — that they should not be interfered with by putting on them advertising material,” Ruddock said last week.

“This was not my decision. It was made by the professional staff but if you have signage that you want to put up, put it up in your garden on a post on your property, but don’t use council property.

“The bins are public property; you don’t own them; you hire them from the council to remove your waste and we ask you not to deface them with advertising material of any form.”

But Smith wasn’t buying it — and besides, in a classic case of the Streisand effect, Hornsby council’s tantrum only sent sales skyrocketing Australia-wide, he says.

“The decision by Philip Ruddock, Mayor of Hornsby and NSW president of the Liberal Party, to threaten Hornsby residents with bin stickers to not collect their rubbish has led to soaring demand for the bin stickers in Hornsby and right around the country,” Smith says proudly.

Customers aren’t bowing to the council threat either — Ian Graves posted on Twitter that “I’ve got my bin stickers on & they’re not coming off”, while Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes á Court wrote, “this whole episode is so funny I’m going to buy another set of bin stickers”.

So what’s next for Smith? He says they’re now in the process of producing car stickers, which — along with the bin stickers — can be found on the Smart Voting website.

“Sales are really ramping up,” he says.