Why are French cities full of bins with questions on them?

Springing up across French cities in recent months are bins posing burning questions such as - 'working out or eating cheese?' or'Star Wars or Star Trek?'
This is the latest attempt to clear up French sidewalks of cigarette butts. In order to encourage smokers not to throw their filters on the ground, several cities across the country gambled on a playful alternative to regular bins: poll ashtrays in which you can cast your vote on the issues of the day while throwing away your cigarette end.
In cities including Nice, Nantes, Paris, Laval and Dijon, smokers now can throw their cigarette ends in cendriers-sondages, aka poll ashtrays. Questions will vary according to the city, mixing specifically local debates to more random ones.
Some cities will even opt for a more educational approach such as in Caudry, in northern France. ''Un mégot de cigarette pollue jusqu'à: 200 ou 500 litres d'eau?'' - A cigarette butt can pollute up to: 200 or 500 litres of water?
But a majority of town halls are choosing a more lighthearted approach such as in Lille, where one bin asks smokers ''Sport ou raclette?'' - ''Working out or eating raclette?''
Des cendriers ludiques qui proposent de répondre à un sondage avec son mégot font leur apparition dans le centre de Lille. La municipalité en a déjà fait installer neuf. pic.twitter.com/x1f8ic3cFW
— INFO Roubaix (@RoubaixInfo) July 27, 2019
In Paris, 30 ashtrays have been installed in 18 streets of the capital. Parisians will now be able to cast their vote and settle debates such as ''Pont Neuf or Pont des Arts?'', ''Quinoa or burger?'' and even ''Star Trek or Star Wars?''
En été, vous êtes plutôt tongs ou sandales ?
Tongs / sandales, Star Wars / Star Trek, Beyoncé / Rihanna, Beatles / Rolling Stones, quinoa / burger... Le but: que jeter sa cigarette dans un cendrier, plutôt que dans la rue, devienne un jeu.https://t.co/mGwngRK3P6 pic.twitter.com/vrNrAPMB4e
— Paris (@Paris) 19 août 2019
Back in April already, students from la Sorbonne University initiated a poll to answer one of the burning question shaking up the world of French rap: Kaaris or Booba?
.@Anne_Hidalgo @carine_petit #Paris ne pourrions-nous pas généraliser ce genre de cendrier (avec bcp d'autres questions) afin de lutter contre la pollution des mégots ? #Nudge ?
A @SorbonneParis1 #Tolbiac, ça marche ?? pic.twitter.com/ljPpVTJp4m
— Pierre Rondeau (@Lasciencedufoot) 5 avril 2019
Whether educational or comical, poll ashtrays are slowly making their way on to France's sidewalks - more than 400 were installed over the past two years.
READ ALSO
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The Twitter challenge to clear France's streets of cigarettes butts
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Is smoking on French café terraces becoming an endangered habit?
See Also
In cities including Nice, Nantes, Paris, Laval and Dijon, smokers now can throw their cigarette ends in cendriers-sondages, aka poll ashtrays. Questions will vary according to the city, mixing specifically local debates to more random ones.
Some cities will even opt for a more educational approach such as in Caudry, in northern France. ''Un mégot de cigarette pollue jusqu'à: 200 ou 500 litres d'eau?'' - A cigarette butt can pollute up to: 200 or 500 litres of water?
But a majority of town halls are choosing a more lighthearted approach such as in Lille, where one bin asks smokers ''Sport ou raclette?'' - ''Working out or eating raclette?''
Des cendriers ludiques qui proposent de répondre à un sondage avec son mégot font leur apparition dans le centre de Lille. La municipalité en a déjà fait installer neuf. pic.twitter.com/x1f8ic3cFW
— INFO Roubaix (@RoubaixInfo) July 27, 2019
In Paris, 30 ashtrays have been installed in 18 streets of the capital. Parisians will now be able to cast their vote and settle debates such as ''Pont Neuf or Pont des Arts?'', ''Quinoa or burger?'' and even ''Star Trek or Star Wars?''
En été, vous êtes plutôt tongs ou sandales ?
— Paris (@Paris) 19 août 2019
Tongs / sandales, Star Wars / Star Trek, Beyoncé / Rihanna, Beatles / Rolling Stones, quinoa / burger... Le but: que jeter sa cigarette dans un cendrier, plutôt que dans la rue, devienne un jeu.https://t.co/mGwngRK3P6 pic.twitter.com/vrNrAPMB4e
Back in April already, students from la Sorbonne University initiated a poll to answer one of the burning question shaking up the world of French rap: Kaaris or Booba?
.@Anne_Hidalgo @carine_petit #Paris ne pourrions-nous pas généraliser ce genre de cendrier (avec bcp d'autres questions) afin de lutter contre la pollution des mégots ? #Nudge ?
— Pierre Rondeau (@Lasciencedufoot) 5 avril 2019
A @SorbonneParis1 #Tolbiac, ça marche ?? pic.twitter.com/ljPpVTJp4m
Whether educational or comical, poll ashtrays are slowly making their way on to France's sidewalks - more than 400 were installed over the past two years.
READ ALSO
- The Twitter challenge to clear France's streets of cigarettes butts
- Is smoking on French café terraces becoming an endangered habit?
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