Preston introduces recycling-on-the-go city centre bins

Look out for four new specific litter bins in Preston's city centre to encourage 'Recycling on-the-go' while you're out and about.

Inspired by environmental charity Hubbub's #InTheLoop recycling toolkit, Preston City Council is making it easy for residents and visitors to recycle plastic bottles, drinks cans and glass bottles while you're out and about in the city centre.

To keep contamination to a minimum, people are being urged to put items like coffee cups, dog waste and crisp packets in the general waste section of the bin and to think 'if in doubt, leave it out'. 

We will be measuring the impact and effectiveness of the new bins, and if the pilot proves successful, the hope is to secure funding for more bins to encourage a roll-out across Preston.

Hubbub says #InTheLoop is the "UK's biggest collaborative approach" to boost recycling on the go. Swansea, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wimbledon, Telford and Wrekin and Lambeth have all run similar pilots.

Preston City Council is the first local authority in the north-west to trial a campaign based on the toolkit.

Councillor Freddie Bailey, Cabinet member for environment and community safety at Preston City Council, said:

"We're urging everyone to use the new recycling bins to reduce littering, boost recycling rates of plastic bottles and cans, and to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill or incineration.

"The bins are certainly eye-catching and hard to miss - so please recycle on the go!"

Across the #InTheLoop pilot projects, Hubbub says more than 500 bins have been rolled out and more than 2.5 million plastic and glass bottles and cans were collected and recycled.

You will find the recycling on-the-go litter bins on Market Street (at the edge of the Flag Market), on Earl Street (next to the Market Hall), on Friargate (next to St George's Shopping Centre) and at Ribblesdale Place (at the top of Avenham Park).

More information

• Picture caption - Cllr Freddie Bailey (R); with Ellie Tebbott, Waste Technical Officer; and a street cleaning crew at the Market Hall recycling bin location.
• Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.