New bins are coming - and they'll go large!

The move follows a litany of complaints about the sheer scale of litter in Cumbernauld – with tireless volunteers from the Clean Up Cumbernauld campaign and others stepping up to remove a seemingly constant array of debris from local beauty spots during lockdown.

And the council has confirmed that the focus will fall on the northern part of the authority this summer before being introduced elsewhere.

The innovations will be installed in key points and emptied on a three weekly basis or more.

All types of litter, including bagged dog waste, can be placed in the large bins.

Although smaller bins, which often overflow and need emptied more often, will be removed on a phased programme it has emerged that there will be a 400% increase in litter bin capacity across North Lanarkshire.

This is set to be welcomed by many readers who felt that the problem was confounded by the fact that existing bins weren’t big enough to cope.

Councillor Michael McPake, Convener of the Environment and Transportation Committee. said: “Keeping local streets clean is a key priority for our residents, and these new larger litter bins will provide much more capacity and allow us to deliver a more efficient cleansing service.

“The initiative is also more environmentally friendly as the new bins will use fewer plastic bags, and we will cut the amount of fuel used by our fleet and, as result, reduce emissions. As we install the new bins, we monitor their use to ensure they’re in the most appropriate locations and, if needed, move them to best meet the needs of each community.

“Our parks and greenspaces have been very well used throughout the covid pandemic and will be an important resource for families during the school holidays. I would appeal to all residents to play their part in keeping our parks and streets clean – please bin your litter or take it home.”

The bin replacement programme is also part of the council’s RecoverNL plans to help the area return to normal as restrictions ease.