Billboards use DNA to identify and shame litterbugs

Litterbugs beware! Next time you're about to throw old gum or cigarette butt onto the street, remember that your DNA can be used to create an accurate sketch of your face to publicly shame you.

A new project in Hong Kong uses DNA analysis from pieces of garbage thrown at public places to generate a digital face that is put across the city billboards, effectively putting the litterer to shame. "The Face of Litter" campaign that was launched last year aims to raise awareness of littering in the city and encourage others to change their behaviour.

Oglivy & Mather Hong Kong, the communications agency that came up with the campaign, sends samples of litter found on the streets to US-based Parabon Nanolabs. Parabon uses Snapshot, its DNA phenotyping system, to read genetic information from each sample, Shanghaiist reported.

The system can accurately predict eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, freckling and face shape from that data. The person's age is determined by a combination of factors such as the location of the litter and the object itself.

After faces are built, they are used to create "most wanted" posters for litterers that can be found in high-traffic areas, metro stations and at "the scene of the crime". "The prospect of this idea alone, we hope, will be enough to make people think twice about littering," said Lisa Christensen, CEO and co-founder of the non-profit organisation Hong Kong Cleanup. 

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