Leighton's solar bins can't be rubbished

The BigBelly Solar bin harvests energy from the sun and uses it to compact waste to an an eighth of its size.

Five were installed in Parson’s Close Recreation Ground last summer, replacing 20 non-dog waste bins.

Costing about £1,000 per bin per year on a five-year contract, the move has saved council staff time on litter collections and picking, and reduced the amount of litter, vermin and park cleaning costs.

The bins compacted just over 20,000 litres of litter during May alone and so the council estimates a further 100,000 litres of rubbish will be collected from Parson’s Close during the summer months .

Each compactor comes equipped with a wireless monitoring system. This enables the refuse collection teams to view the fullness of each bin on computers and smart phones. The town council has now decided to lease five more bins for other locations.