Sunderland could see 'smart' bins across the city

The council said the bins, which send an electronic signal when they are full, are among innovations being considered

Solar-powered "smart" bins could be among innovations rolled out in Sunderland following a £60m upgrade of the city's broadband infrastructure.

A deal between Sunderland City Council and provider CityFibre, is expected to improve internet speeds for 90% of city properties.

The council said the bins, which send a signal when they are full, are among innovations being considered.

It is also hoped the technology will help monitor grit bins.

'Sensors in grit bins'

Speaking at a meeting of the council's scrutiny coordinating committee Liz St Louis, assistant director of smart cities, said existing bins could be upgraded with the new technology.

"Sensors are very small devices and can absolutely be retrofitted into a whole range of equipment," she explained.

"We're seeing some good examples up and down the country, whether that's a public bin, or whether it's a commercial bin.

"Or whether in fact it's used for something like gritting, where sensors can be put in grit bins so we understand the levels of grit in a bin and only have to go out and fill those up when we know they're low."

It is also hoped the technology enabled by faster internet speeds, could also allow better monitoring of vulnerable people, as well as traffic and congestion, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.