Do you remember the Garbage Gobbler?
Created in the 1950s and placed across the province in B.C. Parks and at points along BC highways in order to “Keep Beautiful British Columbia, Clean and Beautiful,” Garbage Gobblers were a truly cool piece of transportation history.
Sadly, Garbage Gobblers proved to be as popular with bears as they were with people and eventually they had to be replaced in favour of bear proof cans (which were not as artsy, but much more practical). Even though Garbage Gobblers disappeared from BC roadways, our love for them lives on in treasured family road trip photos and in retrospective discussions of days gone by. (Heck, the gobbler was so loved – he even has his own Facebook page!)
Well, he’s baaaaack. (And he’s hungry!)
We are thrilled to announce that the Garbage Gobbler has been re-imagined and re-introduced to a handful of rest areas across the province as part of our Rest Area Improvement Program.
Bear proof bins have been wrapped in our new gobbler design. We thought long and hard about what these new gobblers should look like. Should we give a nod to the historical retro look or break new ground? Should we build new bins for the gobblers or use our bear proof bins? In the end we decided to go with a modern look and to incorporate today’s environmental needs, such as keeping wildlife out of the bins and providing travellers with recycling options (two of the ten bins are blue gobblers, letting you know that those special gobblers are hungry for plastic and aluminum).
You probably already know that rest areas are an important part of our highway system (they help improve highway safety by reducing accidents due to driver fatigue). By bringing the Garbage Gobbler back to our rest areas, we hope you will remember that rest areas are more than a place to stop and recharge while travelling, they are also a great place to plan your adventures, enjoy beautiful British Columbia and have a bit of fun with your friends and family as you feed the gobbler.
So, take a break and feed the Gobbler! We think you’ll be glad you did. And don’t forget to tell us what you think – using the #garbagegobbler hashtag, or by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below. If we receive enough positive feedback, more gobblers might find a home at a rest area near you!
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