Surf Coast Shire has become the first area in Victoria to roll out Bigbelly solar-powered compactor bins.
The council has deployed two Bigbelly bins along the Great Ocean Road in Lorne. The compactor bins, which hold up to five times the amount of a normal 120-litre wheelie bin, are being deployed as part of a Surf Coast Shire recycling initiative trial.
“For Lorne and the surrounding areas, one of the main challenges we face is the geographic location, distance to servicing bins, matched with the volumes of waste generated,” said Lachlan Close, Surf Coast Shire Coordinator of Waste Management.
“We were collecting rubbish daily along the esplanade, however, we now expect to be able to reduce this to once or twice a week.”
With a current population of around 25,000, the Shire experiences a swell in population of up to three times its normal numbers during peak periods, such as the summer holidays. This leads to an increase in waste material put in the rubbish bins, which used to require more work for the street cleansing employees.
The Bigbelly’s use of Cloud technology means an alert is sent to the waste management team when the bins are full, enabling more efficient collections rounds. Not only is the trial the first for Victoria, it also follows some great examples of deployments of Bigbelly bins in cities worldwide such as New York, Boston, London and, closer to home, Nambucca Shire in NSW.