Waste Innovation : Businesses and households in Dublin to test ‘Bagbin’
Dublin City Council has opted to trial so called ‘Bagbins’ in favour of conventional plastic bin bags.
Manufactured by Owenbridge Ltd, these collapsible waste receptacles made from polypropylene are posited as a solution to the city’s ‘exploding’ waste sack problem.
In 2016, the city legally mandated the use of wheelie bins in household and business areas. 1,000 streets in the Irish capital, however, were exempt from this regulation due to being situated in suburbs with no front garden or direct back access. Said parties were granted the exemption as the legislative measure would otherwise require them to keep their bins indoors or drag them through their homes from backyards. Businesses without suitable waste storage facilities were also granted abrogation in this instance.
Plastic bags full of refuse have long been considered an eyesore in the city. Bags slashed and pulled apart by rodents, gulls and foxes and litter blown about by wind on sidewalks are the most commonly identified problem.
The Dublin City Council originally asked companies to develop prototype solutions to be implemented on the streets, the winning three ideas being promised a total of £50,000 for proof-of-concept testing.
The Bagbin comes in the form of a cylinder in which householders can place their waste. The receptacles are intended to be hung on a specially provided post for pick-up by the relevant waste provider. Waste collectors are supposed to lift the bin off and collapse it, carrying away the bags full of waste.
Beyond providing ease of access, the new method promises to keep streets cleaner.
Decisions for new waste containers were imposed after the Dublin City Council decided to enact new by-laws that require householders to use ‘waste containers’ suitable for reuse.
Underground waste collection network systems are currently the most high-tech solutions for public waste overflow. Yet, on account of financial reasons, Dublin City Council is at present primarily interested in scalable low-tech options such as the Bagbin.
The product is to be tested by businesses while a smaller version is to be made available to households.
Said waste innovation may have wide-spread applications across the country if proven successful, considering that Ireland has many towns with properties that lack front gardens and rear access or have no storage space (ex. flats located above shops) for a wheelie bin.