More solar bins will be installed around the streets of Swords, Balbriggan, Castleknock and Mulhuddart after Fingal County Council confirmed it had ordered 150 of the compactable smart bins to help keep the towns litter free and drive down carbon emissions.
An initial order of 100 bins will be installed by April, with the remaining 50 bins to be installed by the end of summer. The bins will be situated in areas with high footfall, such as towns and coastal areas. Area Inspectors will identify locations where existing bins are inadequate for the amounts of waste being generated.
Future Street Ltd, the exclusive distributor of Bigbelly bins in over 15 European countries, were awarded the tender via an open tender competition managed by the Council.
The main features of the new bins include:
- An internal compactor which increases the litter capacity by 6 – 8 times that of a normal street bin.
- Internal sensors that notify Council staff when the bin becomes full.
- A foot pedal for hands-free use.
- The capability to transmit free public Wi-Fi.
- Each bin is 100% solar powered and only requires eight hours of daylight for one month’s power requirements.
In addition to obvious benefits such as cleaner footpaths and streets, the bins can significantly reduce the number of street bin collections required, meaning more efficient waste management, lower costs and helping achieve environmental benefits.
Mary T Daly, Director of Operations and Water Services in Fingal County Council said: “The launch of these new solar powered bins will provide increased capacity in street bins in high footfall areas across the County. Each bin is also fitted with a wheeled internal liner to facilitate less manual handling and this can help reduce the risk of injury to staff.“
Sales Director for Future Street, Derek Davis said: “There is nothing more rewarding than to witness a local authority or private business reap the benefits of saving money and reducing Co2 with the Bigbelly bin. We look forward to working closely in partnership with Fingal County Council to ensure they realise all the potential and benefits of our Smart Waste System first-hand.”