This waste bin is the first one converted into artwork. Landon Muzio and Marcia Dick hope it is the first of many.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK- Landon Muzio

KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops artist and a member of the sanitation department are joining forces to turn trash into treasure.

Landon Muzio, a local business owner, artist, and advocate for urban arts, was approached by Marcia Dick, a solid waste services analyst, who asked him to revamp one of the yellow waste and recycling bins seen around the city.

According to Dick, there are almost 1,200 yellow bins around the city, and vulgar graffiti has been a constant problem.

“We have been having issues with our bins getting tagged a lot with some pretty profane tags, not nice language. We spend a lot of time cleaning them up and painting over them, and we're familiar with the idea that street art is a way to counteract some of that,” Dick said.

The bin that was repainted is at Memorial Arena, where it has been tagged almost daily, according to Dick.

“We're going to see how the public responds and how city council responds, and see if it is effective in doing what it's supposed to,”  Dick said.

Muzio was approached by Dick after she saw some of his work under the Overlander’s bridge.

“(Dick) contacted me wondering if I could paint one of the bins in the yard, and I went up there, we made a day of it, and we came out with that bin. We're going to present it to the city now and see if they’ll approve it. If that works, we can start hosting other artists and have all kinds of art around town,” Muzio said. "History shows that when you paint murals, vandalism is deterred."

He believes that introducing art in this way will also open more opportunities for artists in the town. He was part of the project that created a space under the Overlander’s bridge which allows people to paint freely and legally on them.

“The city seems to be more open with urban art now that we’re taking a different approach with it. By managing a lot of the artists, and deterring them from vandalism, we’re focusing on working with the city and educating the public,” Muzio said.

Both Dick and Muzio are hopeful that the project will get positive feedback, and although there is no set date to discuss the project with city council, they expect to see many more painted bins in the future.

“We’ll see how it goes and how the response is,” Dick said. “Who knows, maybe council will be like, do them all.”

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