Council is trialling smart bin technology to help keep the borough’s streets clean


Cllr Sutter with a PEL UK employee by a Smart Bin

In Putney there are three of the eleven new smart bins located on Lytton Grove, Putney Heath (1 bin each) and two bins on Deodar Road. The bins are fitted with a sensor that alerts the council’s waste team, in real time, when the bins are full. This means collection teams can focus on ones that need emptying.

The new bins make use of the Internet of Things technology, increasingly used to connect everyday objects to the internet and help cities to provide better and more efficient public services.

The bins have been installed on the council’s behalf by PEL UK, who supply local authorities with waste reduction equipment.

If the 12-month long pilot project is successful, it will help ensure Wandsworth’s bins are emptied more efficiently.

The council’s environment spokesman Cllr Steffi Sutters said: “We are always looking at new ways to improve our services; this new initiative is welcome because it helps us keep Wandsworth's streets clean and tidy, something that residents have told us it is a key priority for them.

“I’m especially excited by the opportunities that new technology brings; smart bins are just one of the many ways in which we can embrace the Internet of things to our borough’s advantage.

“Monitoring rubbish levels in our bins, in real time, will help us deliver a better service, reduce litter and help create an environment where residents are proud to live. I look forward to keeping residents updated during the course of this trial.”

The council spends around £4m a year on its street cleaning service – all streets are swept at least once a week and busier streets are swept up to five times a day. There is also a rapid response team dealing with issues such as flytips, dead animals and broken glass.

Alongside this, the council will continue to fine litterbugs, and prosecute the most serious flytippers.

Between April 2017 and March 2019 more than 11,200 fines were issued for littering and flytipping offences.

The trial is part of a range of measures being taken by the council to reduce litter and flytipping. It is planning to trial special bins that recycle chewing gum, and has launched the #MyWandsworth campaign to send a clear message that flytipping is unacceptable.

Residents can get involved with the campaign, and do their bit to help keep the borough clean and tidy. They can:

• Report flytip offenders www.wandsworth.gov.uk/mywandsworth
• Join the Putney Tidy Towpath #GBSpringClean Litter collection along Putney Towpath and foreshore on 22nd April - email putneytt@outlook.com for more information.
• Support for the campaign by changing their profile picture on social media and showing their pride in the local area.

April 5, 2019