Stratford-on-Avon District Council has installed seven Big Belly litter bins on Bancroft Gardens.
The new solar powered, high-tech bins can hold up to eight times more rubbish than traditional bins and have been introduced together with The Landscape Group, the Council's contractors, in an effort to save time, money and the environment.
The bins also crush the rubbish to make more room and send an automated email/text to the District Council's street cleaning services team when they are full and need emptying.
As the waste is compacted it means every square inch of space can be used, whereas a conventional bin will typically be overflowing with bulky food packaging that takes up a huge amount of space with empty air. It is hoped that this will improve the appearance of the area.
Cllr Mike Brain, Technical Services Portfolio says: “It's great to see how technology can be used to support our services in this way and is a big step towards managing our waste more effectively. The bins are able to hold a lot more waste than the normal litter bins that are currently in place and importantly, they're less time consuming to empty which helps us use our resources efficiently on Bancroft Gardens and the Recreation Ground."
Previously there were 23 traditional litter bins on Bancroft Gardens and 12 of these have been replaced by 7 Big Belly litter bins, which will complement the 11 traditional bins still on site.
The internal compactor is powered by a battery and solar panel that squashes down the waste and only needs 8 hours of sunlight to operate a month.
The bins are on a rental scheme for 5 years and include all maintenance and 24-hour response for breakdowns.
The bins are being funded through a contract variation with a reduction in emptying frequency as a result of the increased efficiencies and a contribution from our contractors The Landscape Group.
The bins were developed in America by the firm Big Belly Solar and are used in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia and well as cities in 46 other countries, including Nottingham, Bath and Birmingham.
