Galway city piloting solar-powered wifi litter bins

Talk about a rubbish internet connection - Galway city’s new solar powered litter bins are now equipped with wifi.

Five bins have been installed on Shop Street as part of a five-week pilot scheme to determine their efficiency and frequency of use by the public.

WiFi enabled solar powered bins have been installed on Galway's Shop St. Tis a long way from that, the street was reared.

— Conor Pope (@conor_pope) August 8, 2014

Ordinary litter bins usually cost local authorities €1,500 each. The new bins are €5,000 each but they fit up to eight times more rubbish than standard bins thanks to their self-compacting ability.

Street bins are ordinarily emptied up to six times a day, but the solar-powered bins are emptied just once every two days. The council would save significantly on service costs, according to Cllr Niall McNelis.

"“Another saving will be less bin liners needed, which means less plastic going to landfill," he added.

Five new solar powered bins which include free WiFi have been added to Shop Street for a 5 week trial. #Galway #NUIG

— SIN (@SIN_NUIG) August 8, 2014

The futuristic bins might become more commonplace as Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council is considering installing 400 of them.