Smart bins, which tell the council when they are full, and compact rubbish inside them are being trialled in Bathgate.
The Big Belly bins use cloud-based technology to inform the council when they need to be emptied and put a stop to the surrounding areas being covered in rubbish pulled out by scavenging birds or vermin.
West Lothian Council countryside manager Andy Johnston told a meeting of Bathgate’s Local Area Committee the Big Belly bins would be placed at two sites in the town.
They are Hill Top car park, where there are littering issues, with the other one at Meadow Park in the town.
Mr Johnston told the meeting: "They can take 10 or 12 times the amount that a normal bin can. The trial will run for eight weeks, after which we have a budget of £150,000. I would urge members of the committee to come up with suggestions. If you have hotspots, or you want to identify locations, email us and we can have a look at them.”
The bins are enclosed so birds cannot extract rubbish or food wrappers and they also crush down carry-out food containers and so can take more rubbish before needing emptied- saving on operational costs.
The bins present a sealed look to the outside similar to the way that clothing banks do, with a large collection tray which is pulled out and then drops the rubbish into the body of the bin.
The firm Big Belly brands itself as “smart solutions for cities” and guarantees an end to overflowing waste bins and fly-blown litter.
They have been rolled out for use in high traffic areas of Scottish cities in the last two years.
