Would the voice of Amanda Holden s aying “your city had talent” encourage yo u to use a litter bin?
Or maybe former Monty Python star Michael Palin telling you no-one had exp ected “the Spanish bin-quisition”?
Organisers of a scheme recruiting ce lebrities to lend their voices to “talking bi ns” believe it can make a real difference t o keeping Britain tidy.
They hope that by using humour, the y will succeed where fines and warnings have failed in keeping streets and parks clean.
A similar experiment in Sweden foun d a talking bin received nearly three time s as much rubbish as an ordinary one be cause people were attracted by its novelt y value.
Twenty-five specially adapted bins t o be installed in the streets of London an d Liverpool next month will use a sound card to play a themed message when litt er is placed inside. For example, one nea r the Royal Opera House will play a thank you message sung by soprano Janis Kell y to the tune of Nessun Dorma.
Bins installed in Liverpool will play B eatles-themed messages.
For others, Britain’s Got Talent judge Holden is expected to record the messag e: “This is Amanda, and this city’s got tal ent”.