Solar-powered litter bins rolled out across Southampton

Southampton City Council has installed 25 solar powered compactor public litter bins as a pilot scheme, alongside other measures, to try and tackle the issue of litter in the city.

The new bins have been fitted at key locations around the city, where bins get full very quickly or are in an isolated area and can get full before they're scheduled to be emptied.

The bins are enclosed units, containing sensors which activate a compactor mechanism to crush the waste when needed, maximising the capacity of the units and minimising the number of collections that need to be made. The 'Bigbelly' bins also contain smart technology that informs the depot when they're full and need emptying. This further reduces the number of collections being made, vehicles on the road and miles being driven.

The new solar power compactor bins have display panels featuring our eye-catching new anti-littering campaign artwork which encourages residents to show their love for Southampton and the environment by disposing of litter properly.

After the pilot is complete, a further city wide roll-out will be considered.

Christopher Hammond, leader of Southampton City Council, said: “We’re working to make our city greener, fairer and healthier. Our investment in these new hi-tech solar bins enable us to take five times more rubbish than our standard bins and to know digitally when it needs to be emptied. This is more efficient, saves time, keeps our streets cleaner and reduces pollution which endangers wildlife. Installing these new solar bins is just one part of the Green City Plan, to ensure that we’re a carbon neutral council by 2030 and that we’re all living in a greener city."