Giant solar-powered bins that send emails installed in Islington

Cllr Claudia Webbe with one of Islington's first Big Belly bins, installed at Nag's Head as part of a pilot scheme - Jamie Smith JamieSmithPhoto.co.uk

Huge solar-powered bins which crush litter and email council staff when they are full are being piloted in Holloway.

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The “Big Belly” units, which are also used in Times Square in New York, can hold eight times the amount of a normal bin and were installed in the Nag’s Head area earlier this month.

Under the pilot scheme 30 of the bins are being placed at busy recycling and litter hotspots in Islington, where street bins fill quickly, as part of Islington Council’s month-long borough-wide Clean-up Islington blitz on grime.

Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington Council’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “We’re committed to improving the environment for all who live, work and visit Islington.

“These pioneering new solar powered Big Belly bins with their advanced compaction feature and ability to send signals back to the council when full, will help to tackle recycling and waste at the busiest hotspots in Islington.

“We will carefully monitor this pilot scheme and see if ‘Big Belly’ bins are a helpful addition to our work on recycling and waste.”

The big clean up will next go to Finsbury Park before moving to Archway and then Cally Road.