Underground Bins for London Households

The underground bin system was chosen to make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste and keeps the number of wheeled bins to a minimum 10 October 2011 The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has completed the replacement of one hundred and fifteen underground waste containers, a part of a £250 million regeneration project for the area. According to the supplier, the new Iceberg Optima subterranean bins from will make it easier for local residents to dispose of their rubbish by replacing the need for residents to have 4 or 5 different wheeled recycling and waste bins outside their property. Bin manufacturer, Plastic Omnium/Sulo says that above ground the Iceberg Optima system appears as a standard bin, but features an underground shell with a 3 to 5 cubic metre capacity. The above ground section of the bin, known as the column, features a secure 'night-safe' style opening for residents to dispose of their waste. The column sits on top of a container placed in an underground cast concrete shell. According to the company, on collection day, the units, column, walk-on plate and underground container are lifted out of the ground by a specialist vehicle. It is lifted in to the air, over the collection vehicle and then the bottom of the container is opened to empty the contents in to the vehicle and the unit is placed back into the ground. In addition, the company says that the sectional design means that if a panel does get damaged it can easily be replaced, and vandalism is minimised due to most of the bin being underground. The installation is part of a regeneration project carried out for Poplar HARCA (Housing and Regeneration Community Association) to refurbish homes and infrastructure in ten London estates. The area is densely populated and street cleanliness and waste management were given careful consideration as part of the refurbishment project. The company says that its underground bin system was chosen to make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste while keeping the number of wheeled bins to a minimum. The first Iceberg Optima bins were installed just over three years ago and have been well received by the residents, according to the company. Also Read How Many Recycling Bins is Too Many? The TaxPayers' Alliance has released the results of its first full survey into the number of bins that each UK council asks residents to sort rubbish into. Twice As Good? Dual sided bin lifters Is a sideloader really an alternative to a traditional rear end loading RCV on domestic waste collection? Malcolm Bates tries the Translift âE-Maxxâ on a busy suburban collection route. Taylor Made? Does the quality of a product really matter any more? 'Yes' says UK-based bin and container manufacturer Egbert Taylor & Co. Malcolm Bates gets the inside story. Free Magazine Subscription Free Email Newsletter