https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bondis-new-solar-bins-litter-prevention-powered-sun-leon-hayes/
Waverley Council proudly has Australia’s second largest fleet of solar powered smart bins.Solar bins are part of our strategy to tackle litter and keep Bondi beautiful, particularly in summer when there is an influx of visitors through Bondi Junction transport hubs and at Bondi Beach.
It follows great examples in other notable smart cities worldwide, including Barcelona, Amsterdam and New York. Other national Councils with solar bins include Parramatta, Melbourne and Canada Bay.
The initial roll out of the bins has been supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
“Litter audits and bin surveys by Council identified Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction as litter hot spots, with cigarette butts and plastic take-away packaging being the most common litter items. […] The solar compactor bins were selected as an optimal litter solution following a comprehensive study conducted last year by Council.
Mayor Betts said the deployment of the bins once again shows Council’s innovative use of technology for the benefit of the environment, locals and tourists.
‘By installing new bins that are easy to use, colourful and clean, we are hoping to inspire people to bin their waste properly,’ Mayor Betts said. ‘We want as much waste and recycling to go in the bins so that it doesn’t end up as litter on our streets or beaches, where it can end up in the ocean. It’s also important that people recycle right and put their waste in the correct bin. Red is for waste and yellow for recycling which is the same as what we have at home.'”
Read more about the deployment from the Council’s Media Release
“You may have noticed new red and yellow bins when you’re out and about in Waverley. These bins are our new solar compactor bins and we’ve deployed twenty eight within our Local Government Area. These ‘smart’ bins use solar power to squash waste and recycling, allowing them to hold up to five times the amount of waste as a normal bin, which means more space for the 50,000 tourists expected daily at Bondi Beach this summer. The installation of these solar bins is part of Waverley Council’s Sustainable Waste Strategy which aims to reduce our waste, increase recycling and reduce litter on our beaches and streets. […]
What are the benefits of solar bins? Bondi can receive up to 50,000 visitors per day in the summer, which can often result in excess waste, overflowing bins, and litter on the ground. Therefore, we need more bin capacity to cope. Our new solar compactor bins use the suns energy to squash the waste and recycling. As a result, it provides us with five times the capacity of a regular bin. The bins also have a bright, sleek and clean design to ensure locals and visitors can see the bins and are encouraged to use them.”
Learn more about their program on the Waverly Council Website.
