Solar bin for Laois town rubbished
Image for illustration purposes
THE square in Rathdowney is in desperate need of a solar bin, as the existing bins are not fit to cater for the volume of rubbish that accumulates at the weekend.
Solar powered bins boast three times the capacity of most street bins and include a number of smart features, including an internal trash compactor and a microchip which can alert the local authority as to when the bin is full. An average solar bin costs around €700 euro.
The request was delivered to the March meeting of Borris-in-Ossory municipal district by Cllr John King, who highlighted the prevalence of solar bins in other districts in Laois.
"We’ll have to get it in. I mean, if you walk from here now down to Main Street, you'd meet three or four solar bins and there is two beside us here. God, we can't be the forgotten town in Rathdowney."
On the cost of the bin, he believed that the price would hardly break the bank, saying he would happily put some money towards it and again underscored the urgent need for a solar bin due to how busy the square can become at weekends when businesses see a significant uptake in late night traffic. He said: "On a Friday or a Saturday night, there's takeaways and people park their cars in the square, but the little bins that are there, they are not able to cater for the boxes, you know, and the box attached to the pizzas, four or five of them would fill up a small bin."
However, immediate hopes for a solar bin were dashed when a council representative said: "The area office will be unable to provide a solar power bin due to costs and budget constraints. The collection schedule for the existing bins will be reviewed to see if any changes can help manage and reduce the overflow."
That being said, the council representative did float the possibility that they might be able to include a solar bin in the existing plans for the regeneration of Rathdowney square.
