Today, workers began replacing trashcan lids in Moline with new ones that hold an extra nine and a half gallons, and advertise while doing so. The city is working with National Cart Marketing, a private company from Michigan, to replace about 17-hundred lids for a one year pilot program.
Company President, Phil Bonello, says this is a great way for small businesses to advertise.
"Companies like this are feeling pressure because the media environment they have used historically is shrinking on them. Newspapers are getting smaller, yellow pages are getting smaller, and so fourth," he said. " And this gives the local guy an oppurtunity to be seen by just about everybody at a very affordable price and with a lot of sophisticated digital 'doo-dads' behind the curtin, if you will."
Bonello says the ad placards have "q-r codes" that can be scanned by a smart phone, and are changed every 90 days. And once they're city-wide, the new lids may earn Moline 100 thousand dollars a year to help pay for sanitation services. Bonello says if the program expands to the rest of the Quad Cities, it would create 30 to 50 jobs.
"Jobs on the street. Jobs selling advertising. Jobs managing a lot of the stuff," he said. "We try to bring as much of the revenue and the things associated with it to the community so the commuty's the primary beneficairy of what we're doing."
This summer, another 10 to 12 thousand lids will be added in Moline, and the pilot program will last for a year, after which NCM might sign a multi-year contract with Moline, and move into the rest of the Quad Cities. Workers started replacing lids today and tomorrow from west of I-74 to 1st Street, and between 20th and 27th Avenues.