Street artist paints Torbay for bold new campaign

Images credit: SWISCo / Szabotage 

SWISCo has partnered with local graffiti artist Gus Szabo, or Szabotage, for a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of food waste recycling.

Szabotage has brightened the Bay’s streets once again with a new piece of artwork on a rubbish truck as part of the new ‘Peel Power’ campaign.

The ‘Peel Power’ campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling food waste and the energy that can be generated from it.

For example, recycling just 9 orange peels creates enough energy to fully charge a laptop, and 6 teabags can generate enough energy to boil the kettle for your next cup of tea.

SWISCo approached Szabotage for this collaboration after being inspired by the artist’s mural in Preston.

The main aim behind this project is to encourage more people across Torbay to use their food waste bins. 

Food waste collected in Torbay is sent to Holsworthy for a process called anaerobic digestion (AD).

AD is a process where microorganisms break down food waste in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the production of biogas and digestate. 

Using a food waste bin regularly not only helps create clean, renewable energy but can also reduce odours in your home.

Torbay residents benefit from a weekly food waste collection, while general waste is only collected fortnightly. This means that food waste left in your wheeled bin is more likely to decompose and cause unpleasant smells due to the longer interval between collections.To order a free food waste bin, call 01803 701310 or visit www.swisco.co.uk. 

Szabotage and wife Hannah said: “We’ve had so much fun working on this project, bringing the giant orange peel to life to raise awareness for an important cause. It’s always an honour to create art, especially on this scale and with such mobility, that serves as a daily reminder to take action and do better as a community. 

“Projects like this make a tangible positive impact on both the people of Torbay and the environment. And let’s be honest—a painted rubbish truck is delightfully bonkers, which is exactly why we love it! This kind of joyful approach to such an important topic makes it so effective and inspiring. Power to the peel, power to art, and power to the community!”

In addition to the truck artwork, Szabotage has spray-painted three sets of food waste bins and caddies, which SWISCo will be giving away to three lucky winners as part of the campaign.

How to Enter: Order a Food Waste Bin/Caddy: If you don’t already have one, call 01803 701310 or visit www.swisco.co.uk to order.

Start Recycling Your Food Waste: Place any peels, leftovers, eggshells, etc., in your caddy.

Snap a Photo: Take a picture of your food waste bin in action. The ‘grosser,’ the better.

Submit Your Photo: Email your photo to recycling@swisco.co.uk along with your name, address, and contact details.

Three winners will be randomly selected using an automated picker.

This competition is open to Torbay residents only, and the closing date is February 14.

Szabotage has also recently created a Torbaydos collection, featuring artwork of all the Bay’s harbors. This collection will be showcased at Torre Abbey as part of The Great Paignton Paint Out Final Legacy Exhibition, presented by Artizan Gallery.

This special exhibition showcasing community spirit will run from January 28 until February 23.