St Helens Road & Nicholl Street, Swansea Council

Formulated in May 2021, the Economic Recovery Action Plan is a joint venture between The City and County of Swansea Council and Regeneration Swansea, a partnership made up of representatives from the private, public, education, voluntary and health sector. The recovery plan was devised to support the regeneration of Swansea’s local economy following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Supported by £20m of funding, some of the key initiatives of the programme include raising public confidence, supporting local businesses and tourism, and championing local food to support a sustainable economic recovery.

Recognising an opportunity to develop aspects of their recovery plan, Swansea Council worked closely with metroSTOR to enhance the on-street commercial bins at two locations in the city, St Helens Road and Nicholl Street. Drawing on their capacity to both increase recycling rates and reduce the issues associated with side waste accumulation, the flexible design platform of the metroSTOR PBM Waste & Recycling Housings offered an effective solution.

6no. metroSTOR PBM Housings were supplied in total across the 2 locations, providing secure containment of the existing bring site bins. The units were developed through a bespoke design process that utilised a laser-cut hole-pattern in the cladding panels, incorporating bilingual signage in both English and Swansea’s native Welsh language, helping to foster a strong sense of place and local identity. 

Sedum and wildflower green roofs incorporated across all units additionally provide an enriching feature that showcases environmental support and sustainability through an active contribution towards biodiversity. Fostering plant and urban wildlife, green roofs are proven to reduce the ‘urban heat island effect’ and provide bin stores with opportunities to establish increased visual interest and drive community engagement.

A latch and code secure locking system aids security for the bin housings and affords a means of access control, as well as encouraging a sense of ownership for the local businesses using the bins. With the Nicholl Street location servicing 2 local restaurants, clear signage helps to specify the bins as general waste and glass-only recycling, alongside an additional food waste bin housing that enables food waste to be diverted from landfill sites. In turn, meeting recent government legislation that all food waste must be separated into a specific bin for collection and recycling.