Sunny Bins was borne from the innovation of Sydneys counter cultural community.
Sunny Bins began as a DIY solar-sound experiment by Peter Strong, Mat Flax and Greg Archer and friends — part art project, part activism, part community celebration and 100 % community spirit.
From its early days at Reclaim the Streets to co-creating sound system activations at major festivals like Parramatta Lanes, Project Planet, Spring Cycle, Sydney Mardi Gras, Woytophia and Sydney Vegan Markets, Sunny Bins has always stood for people-powered creativity.
John Jacobs first made a sound bin in Sydney around 2000 and continues to offer technical support to Sunny Bins in 2025.
We believe renewable energy should be fun, visible, and loud — a living symbol of a sustainable future.
Around the turn of the century culture jammer, musician and community builder, John Jacobs made a wheelie bin sound system for a Reclaim the Streets event. Sydney was one of the worlds most prolific Reclaim the Streets ( RTS ) cities on earth.
( check out the incredible and influential RTS Sydney history here )
John Jacobs and fellow community builder, Graffiti godfather and rebel philanthropist Tony Spanos feature in this grainy photo from Sydneys seminal Wheelie Bin Sound System outing at the world famous Glebe Point rd. Reclaim The Streets event in Sydney around 2000
Wheelie Bin Sound Systems have been a much loved creation in the streets of Sydney since they first appeared at Reclaim The Streets in Sydney. The mobile music machines were born from the spirit of community protest actions. John Jacobs seminal Wheelie Bin Sound System was borne by simply putting a car stereo in a bin. He posted a website explaining how to make your own sharing his innovation.
Consequently the virus has spread and more have been made and a lot of fun had for decades. For a few years there were maybe two or three in Sydney and a couple in Melbourne but since the late 2000’s they have mushroomed.
Around 2008 another community event, Reclaim the Lanes ( RTL ) exploded out of the back lanes of Newtown,
It was a retreat from the ambition of Reclaim the Streets that eventually attracted major Police opposition. RTL was more of a celebration of street art and free party culture attracting thousands to the cosy lanes and parks outback from the main road arteries.
It was this innovation of community energy that lead to the formation and evolution of Sunny Bins.
Sunny Bins made a couple of bins for the RTL street party series and then got interest from the 2011 Council Youth Week and received funding to make a few up. This solidified Sunny Bins as an entity beyond its DIY, hobbiest roots.
Check out the gallery below to see the first wave of Sunny bins 2009-2011, click to expand and explore…
Next minute we we were making lots and lots of mobile wheelie bin sound systems and getting many hires for events.
During the 2010’s Sunny Bins mushroomed, partnering with many councils, fund raising groups, sports endeavours and other communities to get sustainable sound into the streets.
-
Boomtown festival on Shark island
-
Sunny Bins at Parramasala. Drummers jam to bin music
Sunny Bins 2025/6
Vectorpunk33@gmail.com
0418449707