Brussels 'intelligent bins' experiment is a success

"Intelligent bins" that send a message when they need emptying have been a success in Brussels' pedestrian zone - prompting the city council to invest in more of them.

In November 2015, 18 of the solar-powered bins were installed in the city centre. Each bin uses the photovoltaic energy to compress the waste, allowing it to store six times as much as a standard trash bin - 480 litres instead of 80.

Because they can hold much more waste the bins do not need to be emptied as often. The bins also transmit a message when they are nearly full - avoiding unnecessary visits by the collection team.

Brussels city hall said this allowed waste collectors to focus on other tasks, such as cleaning and sweeping streets. "Given the experiment's success, we plan to increase the presence of these bins on the city's streets," the council said in a statement.