The recycling units, which have four different compartments for plastic bottles, glass bottles, cans and litter, have been developed as a result of a joint initiative between Keep Wales Tidy, Cardiff County Council and the Cardiff Initiative. Ten bins have been placed on a 500m stretch of the River Walk, a wooden walkway next to the River Taff and the Millennium Stadium.
The bins (pictured) are rectangular in shape, 1.5m high and about three times bigger than normal bins. They have four different compartments for recyclables and litter which are clearly sign-posted in Welsh and English. The plastic, glass and can compartments have green signs while the litter compartment has a red sign to differentiate it from the recyclables. Although each compartment currently has the same capacity, future landfill tax funding could see different volumes for different materials. The bins have been specially designed and built by Cardiff-based Environmental Care Advertising as part of a 50,000 landfill tax grant.
Karin Crimmins, of Keep Wales Tidy, explained that when there is a football match or other event taking place at the Millennium Stadium 20,000 people will walk past the bins. The location is also a popular tourist spot. She said: “In trials, 98% of people said that they are easy to use. We think we have got something that will work. It works in North America and Europe there is no reason why it shouldn't work here.”
Keep Wales Tidy wants to assess the public's reaction to the new bins without any publicity and so the usual promotions have not accompanied the launch. But in April or May, Keep Wales Tidy will launch a publicity campaign and will compare the volume of recyclables collected in the two periods. The composition of materials deposited in the units and the public’s response will be constantly monitored and if successful, the project could be extended to other towns and cities in the UK.
Before designing the bins, Keep Wales Tidy commissioned Network Recycling to carry out a waste audit of litter bins in a nearby area. Network Recycling found that the average litter bin contained between 20 and 25% glass, cans and plastic. But Keep Wales Tidy is unsure of how often the bins will need to be emptied. Ms Crimmins said: “We have no idea how often they will need to be emptied. We just said to Biffa keep them useable, it is great that they are willing to do that because some companies wouldn't.” Biffa will collect the material when the bins are full and take the recyclables to its local materials recycling facility (MRF).
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