We’ve introduced two new types of litter bins to the Kingswood High Street area, which will help contribute to our carbon emissions savings and will also help reduce demand on resources. The new bins hold more litter and therefore require fewer collections and are also safer and easier for collections operatives to empty.
Kingswood High Street is a busy area and previously the litter bins had to be emptied twice a day. These new bins, which have been installed as part of the Kingswood Improvement Programme and funded through the West of England Combined Authority’s (WECA) Love our High Streets initiative, are larger than those they replace and the larger size means that collections can be reduced to just once or twice a week.
There are two types of new litter bin, six ‘Big Belly’ bins with 600 to 1000 litre capacity and a solar powered compaction unit which crushes the waste to make the most of the space in the bin. There are also 11 units that house a wheeled bin, also holding more waste than the previous bins.
As well as saving time, energy and resources, the new bins are easier and safer for collections staff to empty. The inner bins of both types can be put onto a refuse collection vehicle (RCV) and emptied mechanically, rather than using bags that have to be manually lifted and can often be heavy in a busy area like Kingswood. RCVs are the same vehicles used to empty household wheeled bins.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Rachael Hunt, said: “It’s great to see these new, modern and environmentally friendly bins on Kingswood High Street. They hold a lot more waste than the previous bins that they replace and as a result require far less journeys by collections vehicles to empty them, so have a much gentler impact on the environment. Carrying out fewer collections will also free up resources which can be redirected to where they are needed most, and the new bins are additionally easier to empty, requiring less hands-on contact from staff.”
West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles, said: “To help ensure high streets remain the anchors of our local communities we need to make that they are attractive places to visit, which is why the West of England Combined Authority is investing in the Love our High Streets programme.
“To keep our high streets attractive, we need big and small steps, including making sure they’re clean and tidy. I’m pleased to see that South Gloucestershire Council have really grasped that in Kingswood and have ambitious plans for the area that I fully support.”
We’re now looking at other high footfall areas to install the wheeled bin units and building a route for litter bins that can be emptied by a refuse collection vehicle. The improvement to litter bins in these areas is part of our Resource and Waste Strategy: 2020 and Beyond to make street cleansing services more efficient. The strategy was agreed and published in January and focuses on waste prevention and a circular economy approach. For more information visit www.southglos.gov.uk/wastestrategy
The changes to litter bins in these busy areas also supports the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030 set out in the Climate Emergency declaration in July 2019. For more information visit www.southglos.gov.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-emergency/
Litter bins are for waste that we produce while out and about and must never be used for waste from home, business waste or bulky items. If you have any problems with extra waste at home, visit www.southglos.gov.uk/sortit for information about household waste services or contact the Council by calling 01454 868000.
For more information about WECA’s Love our High Streets initiative visit www.southglos.gov.uk/loveourhighstreets
