Big bin bonanza for Rugby

The council was making around three collections a day for each traditional public waste bin – 51,100 collections a year.

Since adopting Bigbelly’s ‘smart’ stations in October last year it now only needs to make 1,509 collections a year – a reduction of 97 per cent.

Prior to the Rugby World Cup, the council conducted a review which concluded that its traditional bins would fail to manage the extra waste generated by the predicted influx of 40,000 people, placing pressure on the town’s waste collection infrastructure.

Sean Lawson, head of environment and public realm at the council, said: “Not too long ago we’d carry out regular waste collection ‘milk rounds’, regardless of whether the bins needed emptying or not, simply because we had a schedule to adhere to. “These days, we’re notified when collections need to be made and can clearly see when bins don’t need emptying just by looking at a smart device or office computer.”

Mark Jenkins, of bin manufacturer Egbert Taylor Group, is pictured with Sean Lawson, head of environment and public realm at the council.