Bigbelly trial yields big results in Shipley

The waste technology brand responsible for creating what has been referred to as ‘the world’s smartest bin’, Bigbelly, has continued its expansion across West Yorkshire following the successful trial of nine of its smart stations in Shipley in the City of Bradford. The trial, which saw Bigbelly’s 606-litre solar powered compacting units replace 34 100-litre bins, reduced the number of manual collections from 15,300 to only 285 between November 2015 and April 2016. Bigbelly’s inaugural appearance within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council has also saved 750 man-hours attributable to conventional manual collection, which were reinvested in other front-line services. The council’s street-cleansing team has now shifted its environmental focus from cleaning litter generated as a result of overfull bins to other areas within the urban realm.

The success of the trial is behind the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s decision to extend Bigbelly’s on-street presence to 47 smart stations across Keighley, Bingley and areas within Bradford City Centre. It is also now looking to roll out a further 150 units across what is the UK’s sixth most populated area, which will bring the total number to 197.

“With Bigbelly, the council has access to more than just a container but a regular stream of real-time updates that can be used to inform and plan its approach to collection. Not only are the City of Bradford’s units 100 per cent contained through self closing chutes, but also their in-built SIM cards alerts the waste team at the council when the stations are 85 and 99 per cent full, enabling collection operatives time to respond before they reach capacity. There is no more litter attributable to overfull bins, no more risk of pest infestation and with the inclusion of large ash trays on either side of each station, smoking-related litter has also dramatically decreased.”
Mark Jenkins, Sales Director for Bigbelly at Egbert Taylor

News of the trial’s extension follows Leeds City Council’s decision to place 17 units across key locations throughout the city following a successful trial that began in 2014.

The council now plans to integrate Bigbelly’s smart stations within park environments to establish the benefits of using the technology in other public spaces.