As London is preparing to host the 2012 Olympic games this summer, the streets of the city will be receiving a lot of temporary guests. This will naturally put a strain on both public transport and law enforcement, but it will also increase the amount of garbage produced. To reduce litter during this time and beyond, the city have chosen to place new digital recycling bins around town. They will display the latest news, while also collecting 1.65 tons of material every year, and at the same time provide platform to broadcast public alerts if needed, in a fast and efficient way.
The recycling bins are designed by London-based Renew, that where awarded a 21 year tender to tackle the increasing problem with free paper littering in City streets. Providing not only a possible solution to the issue with littering, the bins can also display alerts and public transportation delays or emergencies. Renew estimates that their daily audience of the street-side screens will grow from 750.000 at launch to over 3 million during the Olympics.
On both sides of the bin there are LCD screens that display news content powered by partners like Bloomberg News, Time Out and the London Stock Exchange. It can also display weather and other information. The screens are protected by a strong glass-reinforced polymer, and the screens are lit up by LED lights with adaptive brightness capabilities. Currently 25 of these recycling bins have been placed in the city, but before the Olympics start this should increase to 200.
