It certainly has “bin” quite a year, hasn’t it?
As we all shuffled indoors to begin our quarantine at the beginning of 2020, none of us had any inkling how long we would be living like this, or how profoundly our lives would change over the course of the year. While it has been a tremendously strange and difficult year at times, there have been many positive things that have come out of lockdown.
For many Australians, the only time we were able to go outside during lockdown was to take the bins out each week. Seizing the opportunity, Aussie Danielle Askew started dressing up for the one weekly outing and from that idea, Bin Isolation Outing was born.
Across the country, bin day became a day of dress-up, dance, and laughter. One of the most dedicated to the Bin Isolation Outing was Tarn Maley, who produced 263 costumes in 263 consecutive days. The creativity and enthusiasm that the binners took to their “new normal” injected a spark of joy and fun into a difficult period of our lives.
The group began as a small group shared among Danielle’s local community but it quickly exploded into a national – and even international – sensation. Danielle told the ABC that Bin Isolation Outing had found members in Australia, Canada and the U.S. Currently, Bin Isolation Outing has over 900,000 members across the globe and has been featured on The Graham Norton Show.
Through the Bin Isolation Outing group, people found community, a creative outlet and friendships that were completely unique to our current set of circumstances. For many people, bin day became the highlight of the week. Our very own founder Jacqui also got in on the fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/306002627033697/permalink/363400864627206
All good things must come to an end, however, and as 2020 comes to a close so will Bin Isolation Outing. The Facebook group will be archived on the 31st of December, which means there are still a couple of bin days left to dress up and participate in your own Bin Isolation Outing.
Story: Stephanie Downing. Pictured: Danielle Askew on the first ever Bin Isolation Outing.
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