Bins
The Bin Shrine
Create a tiny ceremonial shrine around the chosen receptacle with fairy lights, cardboard rays and recycling offerings.
The Bin Shrine is a small, mock-official act of civic daftness: visible, removable, cheap and much easier than explaining Earth politics to a bin.
Best for
- bins on private property
- driveways
- yards
You’ll need
- cardboard or an old delivery box
- paper
- felt tips or pens
- masking tape, string or removable tack
- scissors
- foil or anything silver
How to make it
- Choose a spot you own or have clear permission to decorate.
- Sketch the display on scrap paper before cutting anything heroic.
- Make one big readable sign and two smaller silly details.
- Attach everything with removable tape, string, pegs or tack.
- Step outside, check it is visible, friendly and not blocking anything.
- Take a quick photo, then keep an eye on weather, wind and collection day.
Copy this wording
- “Officially unofficial.”
- “Department of Mildly Improved Democracy.”
- “Please form an orderly queue for nonsense.”
- “Binface compliance inspection passed.”
- “A small but important victory for cardboard.”
Make it more ridiculous
- Add foil stars, paper rosettes or cardboard arrows.
- Create a tiny fictional department sign.
- Give a bin, plant pot or doormat a formal job title.
Keep it sensible
- Use safe battery lights only, keep decorations weather-aware, and never interfere with collections.
- Use private property or get permission first.
- Keep exits, pavements, roads, shared spaces and safety notices clear.
For more boundaries that keep the nonsense cheerful, read the Tiny Rulebook or the guide.
Photo tip
Photograph close enough to show the joke, but crop out faces, house numbers, car plates, street signs, private letters and neighbours who did not volunteer for intergalactic administration.
How to remove it
- Peel tape slowly rather than yanking it.
- Untie string and save reusable pieces.
- Recycle clean card and paper.
- Wipe any chalk pen or residue with a suitable cleaner for that surface.
Tiny version
Make one handwritten A4 sign, place it somewhere you control, enjoy the tiny constitutional incident for five minutes, then remove it cleanly.
Big version
Build a three-part display with a headline sign, a fictional department, props, and one completely unnecessary label for maximum bureaucratic nonsense.
Why it works
The Bin Shrine treats the wheelie bin as the star it always suspected it was. Surround it with cardboard sunbeams, a small rosette, tiny offerings of clean recycling, and a sign reading “All hail the chosen receptacle.”
The materials should look gloriously homemade: cereal-box halos, tin foil rays, a plant-pot congregation, maybe a tea towel banner if your laundry has entered politics. The worse the materials, the better the comedy.
Keep the shrine stable, dry and easy to dismantle. If collection day approaches, the chosen receptacle must be free to fulfil its sacred civic duty.