The 19 new 'Bigbelly' bins that have been installed around Riverside Park have been getting a mixed reaction from Bitterne Parkers.

 

The "solar powered compactor" public litter bins have been rolled out in the park in recent weeks, and 142 have so far been installed around the city since last summer.

They currently sport attention-grabbing anti-littering artwork, asking passers-by "WHY ARE YOU DROPPING LITTER?"

Southampton City Council says the bins are enclosed units that contain sensors to activate a compactor mechanism that crushes waste when needed.

They also 'phone home' to let the depot know when they need emptying.

The idea is not only to tackle the litter problem, but also to reduce the number of collections necessary, with the new units able to take five times more rubbish than standard bins.

"Operatives who currently collect waste from litter bins will have their time freed up to focus on other street cleansing duties," says the council.

The foot pedal-operated units are also contained, so litter apparently can't escape when full, reducing the risk of wind-strewn litter around the park and river.

At the moment it's not known whether the old bins will also remain. And the council didn't want to give the cost of the Riverside 'Bigbelly' bins as the information is apparently "commercially sensitive".

The new bins have attracted lots of attention and received a mixed reaction on our Facebook page.

Pam Brown welcomed them, writing, "If people use them then it's great."

And Sheila Morse said: "At least they stand out , which may make people more aware of where they are and therefore use them  and you don't have to touch them, just use the foot pedal to open."

But Tim Muckart simply described them as "Ugly", and Jamie Robin Gibbs wrote: "They're not in keeping with the aesthetic of the park."

Some seemed to dislike the messaging more than the bins themselves.

"I feel slightly offended because I don't drop litter and STILL they shout at me! " wrote Louise Owen. "Perhaps a grateful approachable 'thank you for feeding me ' on the bin itself and the shaming messages elsewhere in the park?!".

Sarah Kelly wrote: "Surely signs about dropping litter should be elsewhere.. putting them on the bin could be read that putting it in the bin is a bad thing .. especially as they don't look easy to put litter in ? Which defeats the object ?"

And Laura Hewett said: "The writing kind of suggests that if you drop litter here (ie the bin) it ends up in the sea !!!! Still that's what 7k gets you !!!"

But messaging could change, and it looks like we could even see advertising around the park in due course.

A council spokesperson confirmed that three out of four of the display panels on each of the bins can be changed, "so we will run different artwork campaigns. Other service areas may even use them and they're available for third parties to rent out."

Cllr Steve Leggett, cabinet member for Green City & Place, previously commented about the new bins: "Investment in our waste services is essential to ensure we minimise damage caused to our natural environment. Installing these new solar bins is just one step to helping us all to ensure we are doing our bit to prevent rubbish cluttering our streets and possibly endangering our natural wildlife.

"We recently set ambitious, challenging goals to help tackle climate change in our Green City Plan, which demonstrates that the council wants to achieve more. It details the approach and principles that will ensure that the environment is at the forefront of all decision making."

We understand there are also plans to introduce standard, non-compactor recycling bins in the city's parks "sometime in the near future".

You can read all the comments, and add your own, on our Facebook page.