At Lunch
WHAT IN THE WORLD! - Litterbugs publicly shamed with E-fits on billboards using DNA left on rubbish─── 13:45 Fri, 22 May 2015
Litterbugs are set to be publicly shamed in Hong Kong, with E-fits of their face created from the DNA on their rubbish and projected on billboards.
The campaign, titled The Face of Litter, has been launched by Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong in an attempt to cut down on the amount of litter in the Chinese city.
According to the group, 16,000 tons of waste are dumped in Hong Kong every day, with many people expecting the problem will be cleaned up 'by someone else'.
This new initiative will use DNA collected from the litter, to create a representation of the culprit's face.
Because age is impossible to determine through DNA alone, the analysis will be combined in other factors, such as the type of litter, to create a more accurate picture.
The images will then be projected onto electronic billboards around the city in order to shame the litterbugs into picking up their waste.
Reed Collins, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy & Mather Group Hong Kong, said: "This campaign is one of a kind. It's interactive. It's innovative. It's our own science experiment that we're using to create social change.
"Litter is such a major problem in Hong Kong and thanks to newly available DNA technology we can now put a face to this anonymous crime and get people to think twice about littering."
Last month, Hong Kong Cleanup launched a six-week challenge which saw more than 50,000 participants picking up more than 3.8 million kilograms of rubbish.
Lisa Christensen, Founder and CEO of The Hong Kong Cleanup said: "Sadly, we suffer from a serious 'pick up after me' mentality, and this simply must change."
