'Smelly' problem with new smart bins that attempt to solve ongoing issue in parks

Innovative new bins which use solar power to compress rubbish with the hope of avoiding overflow are becoming more common in Aussie parks, but environmental activists argue they may not as useful as they first appear.

The high-tech 240-litre smart bins crush general waste so they can hold eight times more than regular ones and are programmed to alert collection services when they are 80 per full, slashing annual costs for councils as there are fewer pick-ups.

However, environmentalist Josie Jones told Yahoo News Australia having stand alone bins without any recycling option may not solve overflow problems as “the majority of the waste historically is recyclables.”

Therefore, more items would end up in the trash, filing up the bin faster and also the many items which could have been recycled will end up going straight to landfill, she said.

While the smart bins can hold more rubbish, saving tens of thousands a year in collection costs, Jones said there had been technical issues with the GPS tracking which in turn caused delays in rubbish pick-ups.

She also said another concern is that as food waste can deteriorate quickly in summer, if the bins were located in busy areas such as near barbecues they “may become quite smelly if flies are able to enter and lay eggs” which in turn could attract rodents.

• Confronting 50-year-old find on popular beach stuns Aussie: 'It's crazy'

• Heartbreaking photo reveals sad trend that poses huge risk to wildlife: 'Mind boggling'

• Disturbing vision for Australian beaches as plastic problem grows

Lack of recycling options sees most of the rubbish go to landfill

Jeff Angel, director of anti-plastics group Boomerang Alliance, said without nearby recycle bins, people would throw empty cans or bottles in with the rubbish – although he added the contents of most public recycling bins largely ended up in landfill anyway.

“Inevitably the recycling part of the bin becomes contaminated with other rubbish,” Angel told Yahoo News. “That’s not entirely the consumer’s fault. It’s so confusing – the type of packaging that’s produced – to know whether it’s recyclable or not.”

He said Australia needed to “get serious” about eliminating single-use plastic in favour of reusable items and recycling correctly.

Waverley Council, which looks after Sydney tourist mecca Bondi, was an early adopter and has been using the technology, made by Solar Bins Australia, since 2017 and Wyndham City Council in Melbourne has been operating both smart litter and recycling bins for several years.

Redland City Council in Brisbane set aside $365,000 in the 2023-24 budget to install 25 smart bins in addition to 10 it already had.

Council may trial the technology alongside extra recycling bins

In a Facebook post, deputy mayor of Toowoomba Regional Council, Dr Rebecca Vonhoff, congratulated Redland for its innovative solar bins and said she hoped to trial them in her local government area.

“There’s been no decision from council but it’s something I’d like us to look into so we can understand costs, where the bins have been effective in other councils and what lessons they’ve learned,” Vonhoff told Yahoo News.

“It might be the case that we’d need extra recycling bins right beside the new bins so people can easily recycle.

"We have events in our parks that attract large crowds, like this month’s Festival of Flowers, and being able to hold more rubbish and get alerts when the bins are full could mean fewer instances of bins overflowing.”

In a statement, a Redland City Council spokesperson told Yahoo News, the bins were expected to save a minimum of $20,000 per year in operational costs and their original trial at Wellington Point Recreational Reserve aimed to reduce rubbish collections from 160 to 20 a week.

“The main purpose of the smart bins on Redlands Coast is to protect the environment, improve park cleanliness through reduced littering, collect waste data and reduce the number of callouts to overflowing bins,” they added.

Solar Bins Australia have been contacted for comment.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.