On the hunt for a wheelie rare bin
Calling all eagle-eyed Maidonians – a wheelie bin aficionado is asking for help to track down a rare and ‘special’ bin spotted in Maidenhead. The young collector from Germany is determined to track down the ‘beautiful’ purple bin.
The hunt is on to find the perfect purple wheelie bin spotted in Maidenhead by an avid collector.
Alexander Smoljanovic, from Germany, has collected more than 100 real wheelie bins and 300 miniature ones since he began collecting aged four, nearly 20 years ago.
Miniatures started being produced 50 years ago, in the 1970s when the first bins with wheels were created, to create trust in the new system.
Big and small, the bins come from as far afield as the USA, Australia, France and the UK. Alexander seeks the most unusual colours, which are mainly from outside of his home country.
“Waste bins on wheels were invented in Germany but other countries’ bins are so much more colourful. The British wheelie bin colours are crazy,” he said.
From orange, transparent, gold to lime green, Alexander’s hunt for the best wheelie bins has taken his sights as far away as the other side of the world.
“There was a special one made only in Australia in 1995. That’s the most I invested in picking up a wheelie bin – 200 euros,” he said.
“It turned out that two of them were shipped to Germany and I was able to get one. That was big luck. It won’t happen a second time,” he said.
Alexander has even travelled 700km from his home on a sevenhour drive to the borders of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in his quest for the best bins.
“It was worth it, 110 per cent,” he said.
Alexander only collects special colours, or those no longer manufactured.
“I have two garages for the fullsize ones – about 40 in each garage,” he said.
“If I collected everything, I would have 1,000, not the 100 or so I have. I think I’ve got about 98 per cent of the ones I want.”
Apparently, the pursuit of wheelie bins is more popular than one might expect, with 200 people following a single manufacturer on Facebook. Alexander knows a dozen fellow enthusiasts.
Through the help of local newspapers, Alexander has successfully tracked down elusive bins on 80 occasions. Sometimes, scores of people contact him with information the next day.
Now he has received an anonymous tip that a coveted, rare ‘special’ purple wheelie bin has been spotted in Maidenhead.
The British purple is ‘darker and more beautiful’ than the purple bins of similar kinds that Alexander has encountered before, igniting his thirst for this ‘forgotten’ Maidenhead bin.
Three examples of the 240-litre bin, manufactured by SULO, are sat outside a shop – or perhaps a former shop – but that is all Alexander knows about it.
He received the tip from someone on Facebook whose account went out of commission before he could follow up.
“I can’t imagine who this person was,” he said.
He has been combing Google and Apple Maps trying to find the location ever since. He thinks it might be in Nicholsons Lane.
“I’m trying to be patient but it isn’t easy. I would be very happy if the person who owned it contacted me and I would arrange the pickup,” he said. I’m excited for the result.
“I think it’s impossible to find a British bin from 2002 in Germany. It might be one of the last in Britain. To get it, maybe I will drive to Maidenhead. That would be interesting, if difficult. I’ve never been to Great Britain before.”
For Alexander, the importance of his hobby is in preserving the history of forgotten wheelie bins, with many models and brands having been lost in the past 20 years.
“People are surprised and fascinated by my hobby,” he said. “Every bin tells a story and it’s like I’m reading them back.
“I hope what I do will help people appreciate them more. Some people tell me: ‘Now I consider my wheelie bin from another angle.’”
To help Alexander find the purple wheelie bin, email WBS.worldwide@gmail.com