The Royal Borough of Greenwich has installed 18 PEL Solar Street Bins for trials aimed at enhancing the efficiency of its street cleansing service.

The state-of-the-art bins have been installed as part of the borough-wide drive to have the cleanest streets in London. The Council is determined to do all it can to ensure its town centres and high streets are clean and tidy so everyone can enjoy visiting them.

Freeing up staff time to focus on other cleaning tasks

Powered by the sun, the bins can crush the litter deposited in them which means they have a holding capacity of up to ten times that of a traditional street bin. The smart bins also have a sensor for measuring litter levels which triggers an email alert to the Council when they are 80 per cent full so that a collection crew can be despatched.

Due to the special features of the bins, it is likely collection staff will have to make significantly less trips to empty them which is set to free up their time to focus on other street cleansing tasks. The bins are being deployed in pairs with one for recycling and one for general waste at locations with high footfalls.

Where you can find the new bins

The pairs of bins have been installed at the following locations:

• Abbey Wood - Wilton Road shopping area
• Eltham High Street
  • outside Marks and Spencers
  • outside Boots
• Greenwich Town Centre
  • entrance to Cutty Sark Gardens
  • Greenwich High Road
• Shooters Hill Road shopping parade - outside Seabream Fish Shop
• Woolwich Town Centre
  • entrance of Woolwich Arsenal Docklands Light Railway
  • entrance of Woolwich Arsenal mainline station
• Plumstead - Wickham Lane Shopping area.

'Part of our drive to have the cleanest streets'

Councillor Denise Scott McDonald, Cabinet Member for Air Quality, Public Realm and Transport, said: "We are undertaking trials of these amazingly clever bins as part of our drive to have the cleanest streets in London.

"Overflowing bins can be a major eyesore in busy shopping areas and the special features of these bins provide an efficient way of tackling the issue. They also have a lid, operated by a foot pedal, which means litter cannot be dragged out by animals or blown about by the wind."

"These attractive additions to our busy shopping areas will greatly enhance the efficiencies of our street cleansing services as less visits will be needed to empty them.  It will enable us to deploy staff on other tasks to keep our streets clean and tidy as well as reduce our collection journeys and associated vehicle emissions."

'Use the latest innovations to drive forward improvements'

Councillor Denise Hyland, Cabinet Member for Economy, Skills and Apprenticeships, said: "We are really pleased to be trialling these wonderful smart bins which harness a natural resource and use the latest digital technology. We are determined to use the latest innovations to drive forward improvements in our services and the environment.

"These state-of-the-art bins are set to eradicate unsightly overflowing bins even in the busiest of times as they crush down the litter and will digitally alert our staff when they need emptying. This trial is part of our work to support our local businesses by ensuring our high streets are attractive so everyone can enjoy visiting them."