Bin thrown off Sussex pier washes up on German beach and becomes birdhouse

'I’m astounded that the bin ended up on the shores of Borkum in Germany. At least from an environmental point of view, the bin is no longer in the sea,' says council officer

A Worthing council bin that was thrown off a pier has washed up on a German island six months later and transformed into a plant holder and bird house (Frerk Richter)

A council bin that was thrown off a pier in Sussex has found a new lease of life as a bird house after it washed up on a German island 450 miles away.

The black litter bin belonged to Worthing Borough Council, who thought their bin had been lost to the sea forever. Instead, it went on a six-month voyage across the English Channel and North Sea, eventually settling on the shores of Borkum, a small island in north-west Germany.

According to the council, a resident on the island found the vessel and noticed it displayed the Worthing council crest. Frerk Richter contacted the council to let them know of the bin’s journey.

“It started with some mindless vandalism on Worthing Pier but at least had a happy ending 450 miles away in a beach side house in Germany,” Worthing council wrote in a post on its website.

Andrew Mugan, a project officer in the waste and recycling team, said the email was “certainly one of the most unusual emails we’ve received”.

“I’m astounded that the bin ended up on the shores of Borkum in Germany. At least from an environmental point of view, the bin is no longer in the sea,” he said.

Mr Richter transformed the bin into a plant holder and bird house and it now resides in his garden.

He said: “I cleaned the bin with a pressure washer and it now looks great. I then put it in our garden, put a plant in it and my daughter finished it off by adding a birdhouse to the top.”

Adur and Worthing councils said although the bin had a happy ending, “throwing items in the sea is a serious issue”.

The Worthing council bin now resides in Mr Richter's garden (Frerk Richter)

“It is estimated that eight million metric tons of plastic alone are dumped into the ocean every year,” said the post.

“Adur and Worthing Councils are committed to stewarding, protecting and improving the environment and urges its residents to help keep our oceans clean.”