Fresh Thinking
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Downtown 55 logo with icons representing food, dining, sustainability, recycling, and community services

Downtown Cedar Rapids

Garbage and recycling containers don’t need to look like, well, trash. Unleash fun, location-specific messaging with standout design, and you beautify a community in more ways than one.

Uncover & Understand

Downtown Cedar Rapids wanted to give a makeover to garbage and recycling containers throughout the city’s core. The containers are a necessity, so they might as well look good. For some, that might have involved just a splash of color and simple instructions, but we saw the potential to go further and be unique to the city. Armed with creative freedom and a deep understanding of CR’s history and eccentricities, we went to work.

Before

Two public waste bins side by side: left bin labeled with blue recycling symbol for recyclables, right bin labeled with trash icon for general waste

Ideate & Implement

Inspired by the city, we crafted several messaging options to capture attention and prompt action. When you have a man-made peak literally named Mt. Trashmore in your city, you pay homage. And when the aroma of Crunch Berries fills the air on random weekdays, you make the most of it.

Crunch Berries cereal advertisement with tagline 'Crunch Berries Smell Great, Garbage Doesn't' displayed over urban cityscape

Refine & Refresh

With a handful of our messages in mind, Downtown Cedar Rapids put it up to a vote, polling their social media followers on which slogans they liked best.

People overwhelmingly gravitated toward two:

Two colorful public waste bins in downtown with recycling and trash icons. Left bin reads 'Crunch Berries Smell Great Garbage Doesn't' for recyclables. Right bin reads 'Throw It Away Here' for trash, with a QR code linking to downtowncr.org
Colorful recycling bin with icons representing recyclable materials including boxes, newspapers, bottles, shopping bags, and waste symbols
Street sign displaying food and beverage icons including a clock, trash can, coffee cup, ice cream cone, pizza slice, carrot, utensils, and takeout container on a blue background
Colorful recycling and trash bin with purple side showing recycling symbols, water drops, newspaper, and shopping bag icons, and orange side labeled 'Mount Trashmore' for downtown waste disposal
Infographic showing food and kitchen-related icons including trash can, fish bones, utensils, carrot, coffee cup, chicken leg, ice cream, apple, and other food waste or dining items

Bright brand colors, fun icons, and clever copy always win.

Stylized cityscape with text 'Only Room for 1 MOUNT TRASHMORE' overlaid on orange sky above blue wave pattern

The Refreshingly Meaningful Part

Even garbage can become gold when creativity leads the way. These witty, colorful containers are catching eyes—from passersby to Downtown Farmers Market crowds—and keeping downtown clean.