Shuttleworth House, City of Lincoln Council, Lincolnshire

Working alongside the Lincoln City Council, the team at metroSTOR recently completed the installation of these metroSTOR PBM Bin Storage Housings as part of improvements to waste management provision in high-rise buildings. At Shuttleworth House, existing refuse chutes have been replaced with new external waste and recycling hubs, encouraging recycling while reducing fire risk and costly maintenance expenditures.

While a convenient waste disposal solution for residents offering access across multiple floors refuse chutes in high-rise buildings can be a significant health and safety risk. As modern household waste volumes have increased, so too have the size of refuse sacks to accommodate them. Many refuse chutes are too small to handle larger refuse sacks, often resulting in blockages, which can easily compound if residents continue to use the refuse chutes. However, blocked refuse chutes pose a significant fire risk if not correctly maintained and can be a very costly exercise, especially if this is a regular occurrence. 

This aspect of convenient disposal also means there is little incentive for residents to separate their recyclables, often disposing of all household waste in one general waste stream. Modern systems can be retrofitted to facilitate recycling, though this is typically expensive for older properties. 

For the Shuttleworth House project, the new waste & recycling hub eliminates the risk of refuse chute blockages and associated fire risks. 2no. metroSTOR PBM Bin Storage Housings provide a capacity for 6no. 660L-1280L 4-Wheeled Bins secured externally at a safe distance from the respective property. The units were clad in Firenze Nordic Night Black with a non-combustible fire protection board liner, utilising clearly designated Large and Small Bag apertures to provide easy disposal of separated household waste and recycling. 

metroSTOR will continue to monitor the progress of the improvements to waste management provision in the coming months.