Andy Bailey, 51, has turned his odd hobby as a ‘bin-fluencer’ into a charity fundraiser by releasing the second edition of his ‘Bins of Congleton’ calendar
A bonkers dad reckons he’s crafted Britain’s most barmy calendar – celebrating his town’s finest WHEELIE BINS. Andy Bailey, 51, has transformed his peculiar pastime as a “bin-fluencer” – snapping and scoring neighbourhood bins – into a 2026 charity calendar.
The father-of-two has spent the past year trawling Congleton’s streets in Cheshire, hunting down his dozen favourite refuse receptacles. He’s then assembled this grubby gallery into his “Bins of Congleton” calendar, now available for £15.
Andy’s fixation with waste collection kicked off in 2023 when he spotted that his hometown’s bins were “accidental works of art”. The diverse range of styles and designs “captivated him,” leading to his documentation of over 144 rubbish receptacles online.
Following last year’s debut calendar success, Andy has produced another edition due to overwhelming demand. The bin enthusiast, who christens his top picks with monikers like Bincent Van Gough, Bindiana Jones, and Binny Ocean, explained: “These ordinary looking bins have become part of the fabric of the town.
“There’s more variety of bins in our town than any other town. They stretch back decades, some have special memories for people.
“I think a lot of people like the idea of it but not a lot of people want it on the wall. We’ve got nicknames for a lot of them now, too. You’ve got Bindina Jones, Luke Litterer and Binny Ocean.
“I try to log a bin every week, I’m out there every week finding these bins. It keeps me fit, the amount of miles I walk to catch these.
“My wife’s warmed to it, she’s more understanding of it more than she once was. There would be a time where we’d be out and I’d stop and start taking pictures of the bins. I suppose it keeps me out of mischief.”
This year, Andy has plans to donate the funds raised to Visyon, a children’s mental health charity based in Congleton. The charitable chap added: “It’s A3 with a wire bound thing at the top, they’re expensive to make.
“That’s part of the joke, they’re professionally done calendars that you can use. What makes this year more different is each picture is taken in the month which they’re set.
“It’s pretty obvious which month it is when you look at them, which I think makes it look better. It started almost three years ago in between Christmas and new year.
“My daughter noticed the bins were all different while we were on a walk. We looked at all the bins and took a few photos. Then I posted them on a page, then tried to get a photo each day of a different local bin.
“There’s not a lot to get, but some people appreciate it as it’s a bit random. Some people, like myself, like bins. Others like accidental art, which is what it is. These bins play an important role locally, they help keep it clean. There’s certain bins which overflow and I’ve tried to highlight that.
“There’s one on a kids playground that’s quite ordinary but sums up the calendar perfectly I say. Then there’s the Bin Reaper, I like those two.”
Andy has since garnered over 8,000 followers on Instagram and his calendar can be found at: https://www.binsofcongleton.co.uk/.
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