To address battery fires.
Australian waste management company Cleanaway has partnered with creative communications agency alt/shift/ to showcase the dangerous consequences of putting batteries in household bins.
Starting with the aftermath - a fire on a peaceful residential street - ‘A Throwaway Decision’ uses storytelling to deliver the message that people should never bin their batteries.
The content retraces the journey of a child’s toy robot, from living room floor to garbage bag and kerbside bin, before it lands in a garbage truck and a fire erupts.
A Throwaway Decision addresses the industry-wide issue that sees up to three fires per day created as a result of incorrect battery disposal - a danger to both staff and the community.
The content launches alongside Cleanaway’s annual Recycling Behaviours Report which has found 45% of Australians don’t know where to go to dispose of batteries and a third don’t know that fires can start as a result of doing the wrong thing.
alt/shift/ group creative director Anna Fullerton said the creative is something everyone can relate to in that moment of simply throwing something away.
“We’ve chosen to start with the impact moment of a fire and lead up to the small, throwaway decision that led to such an aftermath. As the story unravels, we see a child’s battery-operated robot is the mainstay in our content, juxtaposing the innocence of a toy with something so dangerous.”
Cleanaway national marketing manager Jacquelyn Whelan has expressed the importance of sharing the message.
“With the alarming rate of these battery-related fires, it’s integral for us to deliver a message that educates people on the potential consequences of incorrectly disposing of batteries," she said.
"We all have a role to play in helping prevent fires and the solution is really simple - keep batteries and rechargeable devices out of our bins.”
2024 marks the fourth year that alt/shift/ has produced the Recycling Behaviours Report with Cleanaway, which delves into the attitudes and actions of Australians when it comes to recycling.
Credits:
Client: Cleanaway
Creative & PR: alt/shift/
Director: Jesse Richards
Producer: Stefan Raabe
