Council first in Wales to trial solar powered bins

Bridgend County Borough Council has become the first in Wales to trial solar powered bins.

Four of the tech-filled bins have been installed at specially-selected hotspots around Porthcawl ahead of the expected surge in visitor numbers to the seaside town in the busy summer months.

As well as self-compacting waste to increase the capacity by up to six times, the smart bin will also notify council teams when they are full, provide frequency of use, weigh the waste and cut down on the number of trips to empty the bins.

The new, pedal-operated bins also have a dedicated area in which to separately stub out and dispose of cigarette butts safely.

Funding for the trial, which is the first of its kind in Wales, was provided as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s Caru Cymru grant which supports the ‘Love It, Don’t Trash It’ project in looking at initiatives to combat litter across Bridgend County Borough.

The four trial bins are located at the slip in Rest Bay, outside the Seabank Hotel, on the seafront opposite the Harbour Fish Bar and at Griffin Park.

These solar powered bins are an excellent addition to Porthcawl and will hopefully result in far fewer overflowing bins on the seafront, particularly during peak summer months where these will be very useful in catering for the busy weekends and Bank Holidays.

Previously, cardboard packaging would cause local bins to become full very quickly. Thanks to the compactor element of these new bins, that will no longer be such a problem. These are very technologically advanced and will help us better understand waste habits in the area while reducing the frequency of waste collections and making savings in servicing costs.

We are proud to be the first council in Wales undertaking this trial and proving our ongoing commitment to protecting our planet

Councillor Stuart Baldwin, Cabinet Member for Communities