Over the last two years I’ve turned into somewhat of an evangelist. Not about a particular TV show, trend or latest fad. No, my chosen topic is, sadly, waste.

Actually, I’m not sorry. In fact, those who’ve read my recent day in the life piece, which revealed how even on my honeymoon I was taking pictures of bins, will know that I am unapologetically (proudly, even) a waste nerd. And this brings me onto Egbert Taylor’s T-Lock.

Whilst I’m not one for using blogs to actively promote a product, I will on this occasion on the basis that it is rapidly becoming an industry standard (another point of pride given how Egbert Taylor invented it).

The days of New Forest Locks are coming to an end. They have to. Firstly, they’re clunky. Secondly, they make collection crews’ jobs harder. Finally, they’re continually subject to theft in line with the rising cost of metals. The T-Lock simply presses shut like a car bonnet. More importantly, it’s having real results on the ground.

Salford City Council, for example, is currently in the process of replacing New Forest Locks with T-Locks as it helps to keep a lid (pun intended) on contamination. T-Locks keep the public out of bins, they make it easier for collection crews to collect waste and they also keep waste within the bins secure.

South Ayrshire Council is also reaping the rewards of the T-Lock. It was sending 100 per cent of its dry mixed recycling waste from the Wallacetown area to landfill, which was running counter to its overall sustainability and recycling objectives. We presented the T-Lock and our Lid-in-Lid with restricted aperture, which enables only the waste that matches the aperture’s size to be deposited – and they went with both.

A comprehensive independent audit, carried out by Albion Environmental, revealed that following installation of our dual-product waste solution, the council’s contamination of its plastics, metals and cartons amounted to only 32 per cent. Glass contamination only reached 27 per cent, whilst paper and cardboard contamination came to 17 per cent.

The T-Lock not only works well, but it’s also an inexpensive solution to the perennial problem of contamination. Swathes of councils are buying into the technology which, in all honesty, is relatively simple. But there are still many more councils missing out on contamination reduction because they’re either unsure or unaware of our solution.

So, if evangelism is what it takes then so be it. The T-Lock is a small, inexpensive and effective solution, and the sooner that all councils realise its benefits, the better.

Click here for more information on the T-Lock. Or, if your council is in the North of England and you’d like first-hand experience of Kevin’s evangelism, contact him on 
07825 175 778 or email [email protected].