A South Cheshire man has got the attention of the local community and local press for rating bins and now he's looking to rate ones in Sandbach.

Andy Bailey has wracked up an admirable social media following rating bins across Congleton where he lives and now he want to do the same in Sandbach.

And he plans to host an exhibition and walking tour plus look into the possibility of launching a charity calendar for 2025.

He said: Since the start of the year, I've been photographing all the litter bins in my town and uploading them to my dedicated Instagram page, which you can find if you search for: bins_of_congleton

"There are SO many different types and I'm 66 bins in! As well as the photos, I also rate each bin in a 'Top Trumps' style, based on criteria including Personality, Placement and Performance.

"Several people from Sandbach have reached out to me and forwarded the odd pic of a litter bin that they particularly like and recommended a visit to find more...

"So, people of Sandbach - does your town boast a wealth of interesting litter bins or would I just be wasting my time? If you're interested you can follow my instagram page here

The father-of-four, has rated over 60 bins on his growing Instagram page, which has gathered more than 600 followers and lists his favourite - and less desirable - bins across the market town.

"It's all good fun," Andy explained, "but people seem to like it!"

Andy was inspired to begin this unusual enterprise when walking in Congleton Park with his family in December.

Andy out and about on his Instagram reels. Image credit: Andy Bailey.

He said: "It all started one day when I was with the kids in Congleton Park - my mind was wandering and I thought how different the bins were: the big plastic bear bin, a victorian style bin, a blue metal bin in the play area, and others.

"Then, as I walked back home, I noticed the randomness of bins continued, so I decided to take a couple of pictures and create an Instagram page."

Andy rates bins out of 25, and he considers a range of features when scoring the "most beloved and characterful of street furniture".

These features include:

• Personality
• Pristine
• Placement
• Popularity
• Performance

The Market Street bin scored 18 out of 25, getting an impressive 5 for Personality. Image credit: Andy Bailey.

Andy even has favourites, which he said is "probably the pebbledash bin opposite the bus station, next to the big brick wall of Morrisons."

Andy has been rating bins since December 2023 and, having already found over 620 like-minded followers on Instagram, his page looks set to grow.

He added: "I have had lots of suggestions coming in to the Instagram page, so there is clearly a passion from others - and plenty of bins still to rate!"

Andy has no intention of 'binning off' this unusual hobby, and has plans to host an exhibition and walking tour, which he hopes to run alongside one another.

He added that "A charity calendar for 2025 is an absolute must," so keep your eyes open and follow @bins_of_congleton on Instagram for more bin news and updates from Andy.

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