Smart bins installed to crush litter in south London

LITTER crushing street bins – which can alert council chiefs when they are full – have been installed in bid to clamp down on rubbish. The Royal Borough of Greenwich in southeast London has installed 18 of the state of the art solar-powered bins in a bid to improve efficiency as part of a trial.

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The solar-powered bins ALERT the council when the are full (Image: PEL)

The bins crush the litter deposited in them which means they have a holding capacity of up to 10 times that of a traditional street bin.

The Smart bins also have a sensor for measuring litter levels which triggers an email alert to the Council when they are 80 per cent full so that a collection crew can be despatched.

Due to the special features of the PEL Solar Street Bins, it is likely collection staff will have to make significantly fewer trips to empty them which is set to free up their time to focus on other street cleaning tasks.

The bins are being deployed in pairs with one for recycling and one for general waste at locations with high footfalls.

The pairs of bins have been installed in Abbey Wood, Eltham, Greenwich, Shooters Hill, Woolwich town centre and Plumstead.

Cllr Denise Scott McDonald, responsible for air quality, public realm and transport, said: “We are undertaking trials of these amazingly clever bins as part of our drive to have the cleanest streets in London.

“Overflowing bins can be a major eyesore in busy shopping areas and the special features of these bins provide an efficient way of tackling the issue. They also have a lid, operated by a foot pedal, which means litter cannot be dragged out by animals or blown about by the wind.

“These attractive additions to our busy shopping areas will greatly enhance the efficiencies of our street cleaning services as less visits will be needed to empty them.

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"It will enable us to deploy staff on other tasks to keep our streets clean and tidy as well as reduce our collection journeys and associated vehicle emissions.“

Councillor Denise Hyland, responsible for economy, skills and apprenticeships, said: “We are really pleased to be trialling these wonderful Smart Bins which harness a natural resource and use the latest digital technology.

"We are determined to use the latest innovations to drive forward improvements in our services and the environment.

“These state-of-the-art bins are set to eradicate unsightly overflowing bins even in the busiest of times as they crush down the litter and will digitally alert our staff when they need emptying.

"This trial is part of our work to support our local businesses by ensuring our high streets are attractive so everyone can enjoy visiting them.” 

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