Islington Council roll out ‘recycling on the go’ initiative across borough

12 Jun 2019

We’ve recently worked with London Borough of Islington to manufacture and supply 300 bespoke MLB/224 Litter Bins, as part of a ‘recycling on the go’ initiative across the borough.

The council required new and innovative bins to replace their single capacity, standard general waste litter bins. One member of Islington Council had an idea in mind to reduce littering and encourage on-street recycling.

Chris Demetriou, Operations Manager for the Street Environment Services, explained the brainwave behind the bins. “I have always noted that people tend to recycle more and contaminate less when there are transparent bins at specific locations. You usually see clear bins at airports and train stations and I have always been impressed with how well they are used, so I thought that we needed to try and somehow replicate this on our streets with our own ‘litter on the go’ bins.”

Chris continued: “I believe that when people can clearly see what is already in the bin, then they will do the right thing and ensure they place their discarded litter into either the recycling or general litter side of the bin. It’s important to ensure recycling messages are clear and concise and people will do the right thing when it is simple for them to do so.”

Here at Wybone, as we do so much in-house we are uniquely placed to offer a bespoke service to meet a wide range of requirements. It also means we can oversee and guarantee the quality of everything before it leaves our factory.

Chris explained the process of obtaining the bins from us. “Due to the council’s procurement policy, I had to contact several bin manufacturers beforehand to see if they could design this bespoke bin on my behalf – nobody was willing to do so apart from Wybone. I wasn’t disappointed as Wybone have always offered a fantastic, flexible and efficient service.”

The council opted for our flagship cut corner MLB/224 Litter Bin with standard litter to the left hand side and mixed recycling to the right, with transparent panels and bespoke end opening doors. Manufactured from durable 2mm galvanised steel, primed and powder coated to offer maximum corrosion resistance.

Each bin holds a 224 litre capacity in two internal liners, one of which is manufactured as a wire frame liner to allow the contents to be seen. The bases are also filled with concrete to prevent the bins being moved or vandalised.

“I worked really closely with their Sales Manager, Mark Hollinsworth regarding the design of this bin and everything I wanted to include on the bin was not a problem for Mark and without his input and assistance I’m not sure the bin would have ever been made. We initially went through a couple of prototype bins and after a few changes we finally created what I think is the perfect bin.”

It was full steam ahead once the order was confirmed, creating a double capacity, litter and recycling bin with bespoke end opening doors to make it easier for operatives to empty the units. We were also able to adhere to the council’s staggered delivery requirements and manufacture, deliver and site 40 bins per week.

As Operations Manager at the council, Chris is responsible for managing and leading Islington’s street cleansing services, including the implementation of these bins. “At the moment, the bins we’ve received have been situated through the heart of Islington, on the stretch of the A1 which runs from Holloway Road, Upper Street, Goswell Road and Farringdon. The remaining bins will be placed on our busy main roads and outside transport hubs, which we have a lot of in Islington. The bins have replaced existing single litter bins and we are hopeful that the introduction of these new bins will reduce contamination and increase our recycling rates.”

The first installation of these bins took place in April, Chris has already received great feedback from the bins. “So far, we have had really positive feedback from local residents, colleagues and Members/Councillors about the bins on both how good they look and the fact that people are recycling more litter now.” Chris has shared a few quotes with us from his fellow team members!

“I was literally telling a colleague how much I liked these new bins last week! They are genius! Well done Chris.” (Jo Corrall)

“I like the new bins. They are well designed, well done.” (Say Yin Lim)

We pride ourselves on being one of the leading manufacturers of street furniture in the UK, with 50 years’ experience in the industry. Our highly skilled team use our specialised machinery to cut and shape our litter bins, with each product finished by hand – we provide the extra special Wybone touch from concept to completion. Watch this process for yourself on our metalwork production video!

Chris told us his experience of working with us at Wybone. “I have worked with Wybone for a number of years and I was so pleased that they were the only bin manufacturer that were willing to produce this bin for me, as I knew that not only would I receive an exceptional service from Mark and the team but more importantly a robust, reliable and great quality litter bin. I would highly recommend other local authorities up and down the country to work with Wybone as you will receive a first-class personalised service.”

We’ve worked closely with Islington Council for many years and we couldn’t be happier to be working with them once again. Check out the council’s press release on their online magazine, Islington Life!

If you would like more information on our range of litter and recycling bins, feel free to give us a call on 01226 352333 or send us an email to [email protected]