Ashford High Street, Kent

The #InTheLoop recycling grant from the award-winning environmental charity, Hubbub, is designed to help local authorities transform recycling in public spaces. Each successful application receives £8,000, supported by McDonald’s, to invest in recycling infrastructure using the #InTheLoop toolkit, as well as receiving ongoing support from Hubbub based on their expertise in delivering recycling campaigns.

Supported by the grant, the on-street recycling initiative is a partnership between Ashford Borough Council and Kent Resource Partnership. metroSTOR has been working as part of the initiative to deliver and install 9no. bespoke metroSTOR 8100 Series litter bins at various prominent locations around Ashford high street.

Studies have shown that visible and pragmatically-placed litter bins are key to maximising interaction from members of the public. Litter bins are most effective in “hotspot” locations where there is more of a demand for them, such as town centres and high streets; anywhere that people congregate, it’s likely that litter will follow. 

The metroSTOR DL260 is the high-capacity, dual waste and recycling version of the 8100 litter bin series. Designed for durability in tough urban environments, all units in the series contain a rigid steel shell and an integral door frame that prevents flex in the unit’s structure, which can lead to alignment issues. 

With visual aids a highly useful tool for encouraging correct disposal and recycling, the litter bins were designed with bespoke vinyl graphics to advise users of the accepted items, with 6 apertures and separate waste containers enabling at-source recycling for empty glass, plastic bottles, and cans. A removable ash tray was selected as an optional design feature to encourage proper disposal of cigarette butts, which have been found to make up to 66% of all littered items, creating environmental concerns as cigarette butts are made of plastic and do not biodegrade, breaking down into polluting microplastics.

Part of the funding from the grant will be directed towards engaging communications in order to help educate residents and visitors to Ashford’s high street of what common “on-the-go” items can be recycled, with the campaign launching in September 2023. Across all #IntheLoop pilot projects, Hubbub has stated that over 500 bins have been rolled out, contributing to over 2.5m plastic and glass bottles and cans collected and recycled.