The situation before REEN

Salford City Council had 180 litter bins situated across the Quays area of the city. These were a mixture of different styled bins, many of which were older 90 litre cast steel, open top bins.

The exposure of the bins to strong winds and seagulls meant litter would often find its way onto the street, thus fuelling a perception that there was a bigger litter problem than there actually was. Litter complaints were, therefore, received from the local community.

Also previously, a reduction had been made in Salford’s street cleaning teams. The number of their bins was too high to efficiently collect on the current schedules whilst also attending to other street cleansing duties such as litter picking, graffiti removal and dealing with fly tipping complaints.

To improve the situation, Salford City Council wanted to reduce the number of bins in the area and have their teams collect more efficiently on their rounds. This would give more time to complete other street cleansing activities, reduce the number of litter complaints and relieve pressure on their support teams.

The Solution

The solution was to ensure litter bins only remained in key locations and to deploy smart technology that allowed the teams to collect as efficiently as possible.

Following research the total number of bins was reduced to 82, the REEN CMS Volume solution was then used to deploy our volume sensors into the remaining bins. Using fill level data and predictive algorithms, the REEN system generates daily collection plans for the operational team, ensuring only full bins are scheduled to be emptied.

This then allows the collection teams to attend only where needed on any given day, freeing up time for the teams on the ground to focus on their remaining duties, whilst litter related complaints are reduced.

The Outcome

The team were able to reduce the number of bins from 180 to 82 in and around the Quays area and upgrade the bins and their housings to a unified model across the locale, making a great difference to the area’s aesthetic.

By deploying the service, a time saving of approximately 30% was made over the first 6 months. Consequently, the two-man team were able to focus on their other daily duties, meaning less complaints around the Quays area and a better response time to fly tipping complaints, providing a cleaner, tidier Salford for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The weekend team doing the round have also recognised the efficiencies created and have commented on how effective they now feel in completing their day-to-day activities.

Moreover, the Salford team are now driving less and so have reduced their carbon footprint, fuel, vehicle maintenance and overtime costs. These savings can now be invested back into the councils overall running.

Thank you, Salford, for choosing REEN, we look forward to continuing our work with you in the future.