High-tech bins left 'overflowing' in Dinnington after signal malfunction

The bins in Dinnington town centre "have not always been sending the alerts that they should be doing", a meeting heard

High-tech rubbish-crunching bins have been left "overflowing" with waste after failing to send signals telling council staff they need emptying.

A number of the bins have recently been installed in Dinnington town centre in South Yorkshire.

The bins, which contain a solar-powered hydraulic ram to compact the waste, can hold up to eight times more rubbish than a regular litter bin.

They should also send an alert when they need to be emptied.

However, Ben Whomersley, Conservative councillor for Dinnington, told a Rotherham council meeting the bins had been left overflowing.

He asked if there had been a problem with the technology, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In response, Councillor Dominic Beck, cabinet member for transportation and environment at the Labour-controlled authority, said: "There have been some intermittent problems when we have been rolling out the new bins.

"They have not always been sending the alerts that they should be doing to our staff to let them know that it needs emptying.

"This may have affected Dinnington high street, but we are reassured now that the problems with some of those bins have been fixed and rectified," he added.

The bins are designed to hold more waste, meaning they have to be emptied less frequently.