The roll out of Liverpool's new underground super bins could spell the end for wheelie bins across the country, according to reports.
The first of the council's new subterranean super-bins are now operational in Battenberg Street in Kensington. Earlier this year the council formally agreed on the radical plan, aimed at cleaning up communities and tackling dumping and vermin problems.
The £1.5m scheme has been designed to create a cleaner waste solution for 27,000 terraced households, in hundreds of inner-city streets, which do not have the space to use a wheelie bin.
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The uniquely-designed smart bins, which are made of steel or reinforced plastic to reduce odours, will issue an alarm when full and will be emptied with a crane lift via a release mechanism in its base. It is estimated the emptying and re-installation process will take less than 10 minutes.
The ECHO was around to see the very first of the bins be installed in Battenberg Street in Kensington, with work underway to install them at 11 other sites around the city.
And now reports suggest other councils want to follow suit. An article in The I newspaper this weekend reported that official from as many as 90 councils may now seek to replicate the Liverpool model and it is expected to be the “star topic” of discussion at next week’s ‘Refuse and Recycling’ seminar organised by the Association for Public Service Excellence being held in Nottingham.
A city council source told the paper: "“We’ve had queries from all over the country. The great thing is, the framework is there already, we’ve done all the heavy lifting so for others it will be a lot easier.”
Responding to the report on twitter, Mayor Joanne Anderson said: "Proud to see that the success of our underground super-bins could see the scheme rolled out across the U.K. My ambition is for Liverpool to be a zero-waste city and these bins will make a huge difference to the quality of life of our residents:"
The first 12 sites where the bins will be installed in Liverpool are:
- Battenburg Street, Kensington (complete)
- Carisbrooked Road, Walton (complete)
- Maria Road, Walton (underway)
- Moss Grove, Toxteth
- Leopold Road, Kensington
- Saxony Road, Kensington
- Empress Road, Kensington
- Maud Street/Madelaine Street, Toxteth
- Toft Street, Kensington
- Hayfield Street, Anfield
- Silverdale Avenue, Tuebrook
- Selina Road, Walton
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