And they’re called ‘Big Belly Bins’
Following a successful trial last year, fifty four new solar compacting ‘big belly bins’ have just been installed throughout the city centre.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Deirdre Forde officially launched the new bins yesterday alongside the ‘street cleansing crew’ and litter management officials, mentioning:
“Keeping the city clean so it is attractive for residents, shoppers, tourists and business is one of the most important functions of Cork City Council. I’m delighted to see the investment in these solar compacting bins.”
The new state-of-the-art bins can hold up to eight times more waste than the standard 120 litre bins and use smart sensors to determine how much waste is inside and know when to compact the waste to provide more holding capacity. Once full, the smart bins then send an electronic message to the council.
The new smart technology will mean fewer collections, lower collection costs and less emissions, are fully bird and rat-proof, can be operated via a foot pedal and can even provide data on streets that generate the most bin waste.
The bins are also fully solar powered, and just eight hours of sunlight provide a full 30 days worth of compacting power.