This week’s long-overdue sunshine in Bath is helping Bath & North East Somerset Council’s efforts to wage the war on litter – it coincides with the installation of 30 new solar-powered compacting street bins.
The new arrivals take to 55 the number of state-of-the-art bins in the city centre. They are roughly the same size as ordinary street bins but, because of their compacting action, can hold up to eight times more rubbish.
This means the council’s city centre cleansing team can spend more time tackling grime hotspots and less time checking and emptying litter bins.
And because they are sealed, gulls and other animals cannot attack the waste inside.
Cabinet member for neighbourhoods David Dixon said: “The compacting technology in the bins mean that our street cleaners can focus on tasks like cleaning grime 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.”
The bins have two sensors which trigger the compactor when the rubbish reaches a set level.
Bath city centre neighbourhood team manager Bill Walters 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 by reporting full bins to Council Connect via www.bathnes.gov.uk/reportit or email councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 39 40 41 or Text SMS 07797 806545.
