As of this week, the majority of the current bins around the popular East Kilbride park are being removed and replaced with smart solar bins as part of a £10,000 investment in litter management. 

Despite being fewer in number, the six new bins have an increased capacity due to the ability to compact rubbish. As well as collecting litter of all types, including dog waste, the bins are designed to:

• Compact waste to significantly increase capacity 
• Send a signal when the bin is nearly full 
• Collect data on use and volumes of waste deposited 

The trial also includes a recycling bin for plastic bottles and cans.

The current 21 bins hold a total at any one time of 2400 litres of litter, however, the six new bins can hold significantly more, thanks to the ability to compact the rubbish.  

With solar bins only being emptied when needed, journeys by grounds staff to and from the park will also reduce by around half - from daily, to roughly three times a week. In turn, fewer plastic bin liners will be needed, further supporting the aim of reducing single use plastic items. Each will play a part in the council’s commitment to reaching Net Zero by 2045. 

Powered entirely by solar energy, the bins will be a feature of the park for the coming year, as part of a trial under the council’s new litter strategy. 

James Hamilton Heritage Park was selected as an ideal location to try out the new bins as it is self-contained and, as a result, allows the grounds team to easily monitor and gather a clear picture of current and projected capacity and use. 

Councillor John Anderson, Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources committee, said: “We recently completed a wide-ranging survey on litter across South Lanarkshire, and one of the early things to come out of it was a desire for improved waste facilities in our public spaces. 

“As we use this information to help inform a detailed anti-litter strategy over the coming years, we continue to look for new, innovative and eco friendly ways to ease issues as they arise. 

“James Hamilton Heritage Park is a hugely popular spot all year round, and used by all sorts of people, from children and families to regular walkers, with and without dogs. The volume and variety of litter generated is large, and so provides a great opportunity for us to really test out this latest development in public waste bins. 

“I know that, initially, for regular users of the park in particular, the new bins will take a bit of getting used to. But we hope that, pretty quickly, the undoubted advantages will become clear and that visitors will use the bins as they are intended and join us in keeping South Lanarkshire beautiful.” 

As well as the five new solar litter bins, a solar recycling bin, accepting bottles and cans, has been installed on the path at the car park next to the water sports building. Three bins currently in place (two in the toddler playpark, and one on the entrance at Markethill Road) will also be retained. 

The solar bins will remain in the park for an initial 12-month trial period, at the end of which, the success of the pilot will be evaluated with a view to trialling similar projects across South Lanarkshire. 

Information posters explaining how the new bins work have also been put up in locations around the park including the main car park and café. More details on this project, the council’s litter campaign, and methods to report litter or fly tipping issues can be found on our website.