Taylor Swift Fans Buy Rubbish Collected Outside Wedding Venue for R409 Each: “It’s Getting a Lot”

• Swifties bought 50 pieces of trash collected outside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's New York wedding venue for hundreds of rand apiece
• New York artist Justin Gignac sealed each item in a plastic cube and sold them as collectable "sculptures"
• The wedding drew global attention, creating demand for unique memorabilia among avid Swift fans

Swifties have proven once again there is no limit to their devotion; this time, by paying R409 a piece for cigarette stubs, a stray AirPod, and even an ovulation test kit swept off New York City streets near Taylor Swift's wedding venue.

New York-based artist Justin Gignac made the rounds last Friday, 3 July 2026, collecting rubbish from the city pavements surrounding Madison Square Garden, where Swift married NFL star Travis Kelce in front of hundreds of celebrity guests. The event drew a global audience and was described by commentators as nothing short of a "royal wedding."

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What did the rubbish include?

Gignac, who runs the website New York City Garbage, sealed each item individually inside a small plastic cube to contain any smells or leakage, then listed them online under the label "sculptures." The haul included water bottle caps, ring pop candy wrappers, police caution tape, plastic straws, cutlery, and that now-famous single left AirPod.

He also tied some of the items into knots, a nod to the wedding theme. He was quick to clarify that everything was sourced from outside the security barriers around the venue, not from within.

All 50 items were snapped up within 24 hours of going on sale, earning Gignac $1 250 in total. He told AFP he may list additional pieces to meet ongoing demand.

"It's getting a lot of Swifties who just want a tangential piece of the wedding," Gignac explained.

For him, the motivation behind the project goes beyond novelty.

"I try to commemorate cultural moments in New York City, and this seemed to be a big one, so just capturing a little time capsule from that moment in time," he said.

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The I Knew You Were Trouble singer's wedding drew enormous attention from her fanbase, many of whom travelled to New York hoping to catch even a glimpse of the 14-time Grammy winner on her special day. Swifties have long tracked the pop icon's personal life, much of it woven into her music through thinly veiled references to past and present relationships.

The Madison Square Garden ceremony, lavish by any measure, was attended by some of the biggest names in entertainment and sport, cementing its status as one of the most talked-about cultural events of the year. And for those who could not get inside, it seems a sealed cube of pavement litter was the next best thing.

What is Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's age difference?

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's age difference became a talking point online after they announced their engagement.

The supercouple celebrate their birthdays about two months apart.

Source: Briefly News