Ontario Park, East Kilbride

External bin rooms help eliminate bin blight in East Kilbride

Having completed new buildings for East Milton Primary School, South Lanarkshire Council commissioned the construction of 30 affordable homes on the site of the old school buildings. Designed by Edinburgh-based Smith Scott Mullan Associates, the five blocks are an important part of the local authority’s Local Housing Strategy, which aims to deliver 1000 new homes by 2021.

Ensuring that these properties were suitable for residents of all ages was a key consideration in the design, so the decision was made that all refuse should be collected in two-wheel bins, which are considerably shorter and more accessible than larger capacity four-wheel bins. With sixteen bins required for each block, a carefully considered refuse collection strategy was required to ensure that the bins did not visually detract from the new buildings.

The architects carefully located bin storage areas to ensure that these were easily accessible, and these locations were made possible by specifying metroSTOR PBH External Bin Room Buildings, with internal fireboard cladding that is fire resistant for up to 30 minutes, to ensure that damage to property would be kept to a minimum in the unfortunate event of a bin fire.

ForestPanelTM TG pressure treated tongue and groove timber external cladding will softly age to a light colour which blends perfectly into the landscaped gardens surrounding the blocks – a considerably more attractive prospect than a collection of wheelie bins. If left unsecured wheelie bins can easily blow over, spreading rubbish that causes seagull and rodent problems, as well as being vulnerable to theft or arson attacks.

South Lanarkshire Council’s chosen contractor CCG (Scotland) Ltd, who specialise in the construction of social housing projects, was able to place a single order with metroSTOR for the supply and installation of all five bin stores rather than having to engage many separate trades. All five stores were delivered to site in a single consignment direct from our factory, reducing vehicle movements required around the site in the final stages of the project.

The end result is fantastic. Residents of the properties are able to take advantage of the smart, easy-to-use stores, there are no litter and side waste issues around the site and refuse collection teams are able to collect the bins from central locations close to the roadway rather than having to gather up bins from all around the site.