Hi-tech helping hand to keep shopping area clean and tidy

Published Friday, 20th December 2019

Efforts to keep a busy shopping area in Hartlepool clean and tidy have received a boost with the installation of a new ‘Bigbelly’ bin.

Working in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, housing provider Thirteen provided funding for the hi-tech bin, which has been installed outside the shops on Davison Drive.

The bin incorporates a solar-powered 12-volt battery which powers a compacting system which allows the bin to take up to eight times more waste than standard bins. It also has an electronic system which alerts Council staff when it needs emptying.

Bigbelly Bin

(Left to right) Councillor Sue Little and Thirteen Neighbourhood Co-ordinators Nicola Fleetham and Catherine Hamill with the new ‘Bigbelly’ bin

Councillor Sue Little, Vice-Chair of the Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee, said: “The Bigbelly bin is a very welcome addition to the shops and will help to prevent litter in the area – I hope its presence will encourage everyone to dispose of their litter properly.

“A big thank you to Thirteen for its very substantial financial support and for its ongoing commitment to working with us to improve local neighbourhoods.”

Natalie Usai, Neighbourhoods Service Manager at Thirteen, said: “Residents around Davison Drive told us that they wanted us to make the area a tidier and more attractive place to live.

“As well as providing homes for local people, part of our work involves making sure that our neighbourhoods are clean, tidy and more appealing places, so I’m pleased that we could provide funding for the Bigbelly bin.

“We’ve worked with the council to provide the bins in other areas of Hartlepool and we’ve found them to work really well, so they really will help to keep the neighbourhood tidy and make it an even more attractive area for residents to enjoy.”