Liverpool's first ever underground super-bins have been installed - and we were invited to see them in action.
The first of the council's new subterranean super-bins are now operational in Battenberg Street in Kensington. Earlier this year the council formally agreed on the radical plan, aimed at cleaning up communities and tackling dumping and vermin problems.
Battenberg Street is the first of 12 initial sites around the city where the new bins will be installed. Eventually, the scheme will be rolled out across 90 built-up city areas.
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The £1.5m scheme has been designed to create a cleaner waste solution for 27,000 terraced households, in hundreds of inner-city streets, which do not have the space to use a wheelie bin.
The uniquely-designed smart bins, which are made of steel or reinforced plastic to reduce odours, will issue an alarm when full and will be emptied with a crane lift via a release mechanism in its base. It is estimated the emptying and re-installation process will take less than 10 minutes.
The bins are fully accessible to those with limited strength, or mobility, some operated with foot pedals, others with ground-level mechanisms. Cleanliness is a priority, so no bins will be operated by hand.
Today, a demonstration was given of how the revolutionary technology works in Battenberg Street. After rubbish was placed inside one of the new bins, the crane on top of the bin wagon, operated from the driver's cab, was lowered to pick up one of the bins from the top.
The crane then gradually lifted the bin up high, with the large underground section emerging and being lifted over the wagon and emptied. The crane the bin container back down into its original position.
It was an impressive spectacle to witness. On this occasion the entire process took around five minutes to complete.
A number of local residents were watching the demonstration and seemed pretty impressed. 60-year-old Lorraine Owalabi has lived in Kensington for 37 years. She said: "They do look a lot better than what we currently have.
"There have been issues with vermin around here, although that has improved. We welcome anything that will improve the situation even more."
Another local resident warned: "The proof of the pudding will be in the eating."
Cllr Liam Robinson represents the Kensington area and is also the council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods. He said: "These are not just Liverpool's first underground super-bins, but they are Britain's first. They have been tried and tested in different parts of the world and so we know they work well.
"We have chosen the first 12 areas based on residents who are not able to have wheelie bins because of the four foot alleyways. We know this can cause issues with bin bags and vermin. If this is successful then we will look at rolling the scheme out across other parts of the city."
The first 12 sites where the bins will be installed are:
- Battenburg Street, Kensington (complete)
- Carisbrooked Road, Walton (complete)
- Maria Road, Walton (underway)
- Moss Grove, Toxteth
- Leopold Road, Kensington
- Saxony Road, Kensington
- Empress Road, Kensington
- Maud Street/Madelaine Street, Toxteth
- Toft Street, Kensington
- Hayfield Street, Anfield
- Silverdale Avenue, Tuebrook
- Selina Road, Walton
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