How the municipality of Steenwijkerland is helping remove traders’ bins from its streets

Marttje Daling has been working on various projects for the municipality of Steenwijkerland, in the north of the Netherlands. The town of Steenwijk has an old centre with limited space. The question she raised at the beginning of the project focused on the problem of removing traders’ waste bins from the town’s streets. The wheelie bins they use had become part of the streetscape and as well as being unsightly, they could sometimes be foul-smelling too. Individual waste-collection companies were responsible for emptying their own bins, which led to traffic congestion,” explains Marttje Daling.

Similar cities did not really have a solution

“To come to a better arrangement, we started identyfing where the pinch points were,” she continues. “What volumes of waste are involved exactly and what are the alternatives? We also spoke to other municipalities asking how they were dealing with similar issues. Larger towns and cities have introduced white label collections, for example, something for which Steenwijkerland has insufficient capacity. However, neither did similar-sized towns have any concrete solution for the elimination of wheelie-bins from their town-centre streets and for reducing congestion.”

An underground compactor with click-tip function

“After a fact-finding visit to Sidcon, we became enthusiastic about an underground waste compactor with a tilt mechanism specifically for wheelie bins, known as the Presstation Bin. Using this solution, each business would be provided with its own ‘mini’ wheelie-bin. This new wheelie-bin takes up far less space and can be easily located on the business premises. When the bin is full, it can be taken to a centrally located Presstation Bin. After being coupled up to the Presstation, this bin is then tilted upside-down and its contents emptied. Payment for the service is made by way of a pass system. The underground compactor can hold up to 5 times as much waste material as a standard underground container. A powerful compactor automatically reduces the volume of waste in the container.”

''The underground compactor can hold up to 5 times as much waste material as a standard underground container. A powerful compactor automatically reduces the volume of waste in the container.''

The entrepreneur is now flexible

“For Steenwijkerland and the traders, this is an extremely effective solution. Businesses are more flexible because they can dispose of their waste whenever they want and there are no more large bins at street level. Because the Presstation Bin can compact waste under the ground, it can handle much greater quantities of waste. It also means fewer collections, so improving road safety and reducing carbon emissions. In addition, individual businesses no longer have to pay fixed monthly amounts for their waste disposal. In this sense, the costs are far more transparent, so the less waste you produce, the less you have to pay.”