CONFIDENTIAL has been on the case of litter in the city for some time.
The current litter bins are being replaced as they are no longer suitable for the amount of people who now visit Manchester."
Last summer, during the Manchester International Festival 2013, we published this article highlighting the the city centre's dirty-face during such a crucial event for Manchester.
Following this we were pleased to hear that due to an airport dividend (following Manchester Airport Holdings Ltd's purchase of Stansted), the problem of litter in the city was going to be tackled with a £14.5m Clean City fund.
In December 2013, 10,000 litres of water was used to jetwash 90,000 sq metres of pavement, equivalent to around twelve football pitches.
However, as Confidential pointed out at the time, it's all well and good blasting the pavement, but if there aren't enough bins to put your gum in, or the current ones are too full, then really, what's the point? The gum will just end up back on the pavement.
Confidential article Dec 2013: 'Where are all the bloody bins?'
So imagine our satisfaction when we received word from the Council that £500k from the Clean City fund was being used to provide the city centre with 600 'specially designed' new bins.
At over £800 a bin, Confidential hopes they're very 'special' indeed - although we do expect this includes installation and labour. At least, we hope it does.
From early June 2014 the new bins will target litter hotspots around Piccadilly Gardens and Market Street, and across the rest of the centre throughout the summer.
However, this doesn't mean that the city gets an additional 600 bins, as many of the current unsuitable and knackered old bins are being replaced.
A council spokesperson said: "The current litter bins are being replaced as they are no longer suitable for the amount of people who now visit Manchester - some are too small, there aren’t enough of them, they are in the wrong places and some are in a poor state of repair. Those bins which can still be used will be moved to other areas of the city."
Waste following clean-up grants announced by the Council in March 2014
Following the announcement of the Clean City fund in September 2013, the council called on residents to make suggestions as to how the money should be spent. More than 650 ideas were received, but residents are now being reminded that they only have until Saturday June 7 to submit ideas on how to clean up the city.
Cllr Bernard Priest, Manchester City Council’s deputy leader, said: “These new bins are a major investment in our city centre but we now need members of the public to work with us, understand it's not acceptable to drop litter, and take responsibility by using the bins.
"This is just one of the many ways in which lasting and visible improvements are being made to our city thanks to the Clean City fund. We asked residents for their ideas about how this money could be spent, and proud Mancunians responded to this call in their hundreds. I’d like to thank residents for their enthusiasm, but I’d also like to remind anyone else with suggestions for what we can do to make the city cleaner and greener to get in touch with us before the deadline.”
Visit here to offer suggestions and track progress:
Follow @David8Blake on twitter
How the new bins will look
