When residents approach a garbage or recycling bin in Canada's rainiest city, they are greeted by a motivational quote, fun poem or pithy saying to brighten their day.
Nearly all the bins in Prince Rupert have beautiful text written on them, thanks to Rupert Disposal, which started doing this over ten years ago.
“Living in Canada’s wettest city, with its frequent rainfall and limited sunshine, it’s easy for the mood to feel a little grey at times. But as Prince Rupert is also “The City of Rainbows,” we see beauty and positivity in every challenge. These messages are our way of spreading a bit of hope and encouragement throughout our community,” said Terena Stegavig, office manager at Rupert Disposal.
One bin reads, “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” Another bin states, “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors’ delight.” Some say, “Rain makes everything beautiful,” or “No rain, no flowers.”
Many of the phrases are encouraging, such as “Never give up” and “Believe in yourself.”
Most of the expressions reflect the coastal theme of the fishing city.
Terena mentions that the company was inspired to make the activity of throwing out garbage “a little more fun.”
“We do our best to replace graffitied bins as soon as we can. We believe garbage doesn’t have to carry a “dirty” name and we’re committed to cleaning up that perception, both literally and figuratively,” she adds.
Rupert Disposal drivers have been receiving much praise for the bins from tourists and residents. One resident was so captivated by the containers that they created an Instagram page called “motivational.dumpsters.”
