Amsterdam plants mini-gardens around bins in drive to cut littering

Idea is being trialled at 17 sites after experiment with artificial grass reduced litter by half

Mini-gardens are being planted around street bins in Amsterdam in an experiment to test whether they will dissuade people from carelessly littering near them.

The trial will be conducted at 17 sites over the next three months. An earlier experiment using artificial grass at the base of 150 bins was a partial success, reducing the dumping of rubbish in the immediate vicinity by around half, but the plastic turf soon became tatty.