SMART BINS are being trialled in Fareham in a bid to reduce littering.

The solar powered smart bins have been placed at Holly Hill play area and Passage Lane car park in Warsash.

They can take up to ten times more volume as the waste gets crushed and compacted several times a day and when the bin is full a sensor emails the office, so the bin can be emptied.

The units are sealed to stop birds and vermin getting in and can only be opened using a foot pedal.

The introduction of the new bins is part of a nationwide trial being carried out in five local authority areas in England Fareham, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Haringey in London, East Devon and Glasgow.

Executive Member for Street Scene, Cllr Simon Martin, said: “The trial is at a fairly low level with just two bins, but we are monitoring its progress to see what a difference it makes.

"We have placed the bins in busy areas to see how beneficial they are.

“If they work the advantages are clear – they will cut down on littering, save time and money on collections and deter vermin from bins.”

The bins can last for 13 weeks without a light source and the Council will also trial an alternative version at the same locations between March 2019 to August 2019.