New smart bins not so smart!
THIS IMAGE SPARKED DEBATE ON VALUE OF NEW CITY CENTRE ‘SMART’ BINS
CONCERNS have been raised about the new city centre bin system after a picture emerged of one overflowing with rubbish this weekend.
Around £250,000 has been spent on fitting 51 ‘Big Belly’ bins around hotspots such as Piccadilly Gardens, Albert Square and St Peter’s Square.
Solar-powered, they hold eight times as much rubbish as conventional bins and are fitted with sensors that alert council staff when they need to be emptied. It is hoped the ‘smart’ technology will allow street cleaners to use their time more efficiently by carrying out other tasks rather than having to keep checking bins.
Previously, city centre bins needed emptying up to eight times a day, the council said. A picture posted on Reddit by Mr_Excellent over the weekend shows one of the new bins on Market Street overflowing with litter.
The council said this was due to someone blocking it with a piece of cardboard that was too large and that it was later cleared.
But the image sparked a debate on social media about the new bin system. Ed Howe tweeted the image to the council saying: “The problem with bins is that, no matter how fancy they are, they still need emptying regularly.” Responding on Twitter, Councillor Joan Davies, said the new system ‘is not working as well as it should.’
She told the M.E.N. she is trying to establish exactly when the picture was taken to take it up with council officials.
“The picture is worrying,” she said. “I think it’s about getting used to the new system. I think this weekend there was a lot of resource sent to events such as the Let’s Ride cycling event and the Tour of Britain.”
Cllr Davies recommended people use the online system for reporting problems with public litter bins.
Meanwhile, others claimed the new Big Belly bins are difficult to use because they require the use of a foot pedal.
“The foot pedal is amusing. Saw this happen several times last Saturday,” one commentator wrote.
“1. Person presses foot pedal. 2. Bin lid opens. 3. Person drops litter into bin.
“4. Bin lid opened with such momentum, it has now unexpectedly bounced mostly closed again.
“5. Litter hits lid and falls the the ground, or gets smacked into road.”
Another added: “I wonder if the person that had to clean this was a bit upset...What’s the point of finding new bins if there’s still gonna be a lack of common sense?”
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “These new bins have a greatly enhanced capacity to store waste, but for the full benefits of this to be felt it’s very important that people understand that they must only use it to dispose of items which fit safely within the draw provided.”
The authority said a trial of the technology found a 90 per cent reduction in the time staff had to spend checking and emptying bins.