New solar bins in Porthcawl are out-of-this-world

Residents may have noticed some new visitors who have recently landed in Porthcawl to help keep the area clean and tidy.

In collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy, the five solar-powered bins have been wrapped and are located across Porthcawl:

  • Griffin Park
  • Eastern Promenade
  • Esplanade
  • Rest Bay
  • West Drive

It is anticipated that the makeover will encourage residents and visitors to use the bins to make sure litter doesn’t invade the county borough.

Pam Bacon, Regional Manager Central West for Keep Wales Tidy said: “We are delighted that five new alien solar bins have moved into Porthcawl, this is a new, novel way to get everyone recycling the correct way.

“We have had a bit of fun on this trial and tried to come up with something a bit different that will hopefully capture everyone’s attention.

“We really hope they will inspire people of all ages to do the right thing.”

As the bins are solar-powered, cleaner streets operatives will be alerted when they are nearly full, so they can be emptied regularly.

There are already enforcements in place to try and combat littering and if caught dropping litter in a public place you could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr John Spanswick said: “The new look of these solar-powered bins is a great initiative to encourage people to dispose of their waste and recycling in the correct way.

“I hope residents and visitors take advantage of having plenty of bins to use along the seafront and in key locations across Porthcawl to help keep the town a clean pleasant place.”

Five local primary schools are also getting involved with the fun and will be spending some time coming up with astronomical names for the recent visitors to help them feel more at home.

The winning names will be chosen by the Mayor of the County Borough, Cllr Martyn Jones, and then added to each bin alongside the school that came up with it.

The initiative has been funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities, Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.