Thirty new compacting bins powered by the sun are now in place across Bath city centre as part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s efforts to fight the war against litter.
This increases the legion of these state-of-the-art bins to a total of fifty-five. Each bin is roughly the same size of an ordinary street bin but because of its compaction capability it can hold up to eight times more capacity than the average street bin.
This enables the Council’s city centre cleansing team to spend more time tackling grime hotspots and less time checking and emptying litter bins. Because the bins are sealed, it also means that gulls and other animals cannot attack the waste inside.
Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said, “The compacting technology in the bins mean that our street cleaners can focus on tasks like cleaning grim hot spots, focusing on cigarette butts, and litter picking instead of riding a merry-go round of constantly emptying bins.
“They make us more efficient and place us in a much stronger position to keep the streets as clean and tidy as possible. People are the first line of defence against litter and detritus and, in future, they will find far fewer of our bins overflowing when they dispose of their rubbish responsibly.”
There are two volume sensors within the bin and when the rubbish reaches a certain level, the sensors trigger the compactor.
Bill Walters, Bath City Centre Neighbourhood Team Manager, said, “Since the first batch of machines was deployed in September last year, they have made a massive difference to our operational effectiveness and also improve the appearance of the city because there is less risk of overflowing bins. Put simply, our street cleaners can spend quality time on those tasks which make a positive difference to creating neighbourhoods where people feel proud to live, work, and visit.”
The public can help the Council keep normal bins clean and tidy by reporting when they are full to Council Connect via www.bathnes.gov.uk/reportit or emailcouncilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 39 40 41 or Text SMS 07797 806545.
