Cambridge to trial new smart bins this Summer

Cambridge City Council is trialling new seating and smart technology waste bins in the city centre this summer as it welcomes more residents and visitors back following the coronavirus pandemic.

A number of ‘Solar Street Bins’ are being installed in busy areas to increase capacity and save on costs associated with litter collection. The solar powered new bins automatically compact down the litter placed in them, and contain sensors to indicate when they are nearly full.  

The bins’ smart design means they can accept up to ten times more waste than a typical street bin, the frequency with which they need to be emptied can be reduced by up to 90 per cent. The software in the bins means that only those bins needing emptying will be visited – saving on time, reducing traffic and emissions and ultimately cutting collection costs.

New wooden picnic tables, with bench seating attached, are also being installed at various locations around the city centre, as part of an initiative by the council and partner organisations to help encourage people back into the city centre as lockdown restrictions are eased, and provide much needed additional seating for people eating, drinking or resting.

Rosy Moore, executive councillor for Climate Change, Environment and City Centre, said: “I look forward to seeing people using our new bins and benches this summer and encourage people to revisit the city centre safely as we emerge from lockdown restrictions. We love to hear feedback on the trial of these new amenities from people who have used them and would welcome suggestions for where additional bins and benches could be located in the coming months.

“I’d also ask everyone using the new picnic tables to help us keep the city centre tidy by disposing any litter that they generate responsibly – perhaps by putting it in one of the new smart bins!”