Bright idea gets the right bin out
IT has become the bane of modern life – trying to work out which bin should be taken to the kerb on collection day.
Now a Scots inventor may have solved the problem with a gadget which tells him which bin to put out on which day.
Darren Tarbard, 44, created the BinDayCator device on a whim after he muddled up his bin schedule and was left with cardboard boxes and packaging piled up around his house.
The 3D-printed gadget is shaped like a miniature wheelie bin and lights up to signify which bin should go out on which day, such as green for recycling and purple for general waste, in up to four different colours at once. It works out which bin day it is by connecting to the local council’s website.
Mr Tarbard, from Glasgow, shared his invention online last week and received an overwhelming response with more than 37,000 likes, retweets and comments.
Even BBC presenter Jeremy Vine wants to get his hands on the BinDayCator. He tweeted: ‘Sign me up for one of these because I keep missing my days.’
The inventor hopes to produce his handy gadget for the public and is crowdfunding to raise the funds to make the device compatible with all local authorities. He said: ‘I am quite proud of it. I think not knowing which bins to put out is a bit of a First World problem.
‘Missing the bins is not a great hardship – it’s just really annoying. I wanted something you don’t need to check.
‘It’s quite a nice thing to look at. It’s really captured people’s hearts.
‘The power lies in its simplicity – it doesn’t get lost in notifications on your smartphone, you don’t have to actively check it.
‘Just leave it in your kitchen or wherever and you find that you never find yourself wondering [about bin day] again. You just know.’