Birmingham City Council chooses Taylor Street

Birmingham City Council has installed two Taylor Street Recycling centres as part of its plan to increase recycling rates in the residential area of Bournbrook, adjacent to the University of Birmingham's main campus. Although newly installed, the Street recycling units (for glass/cans and paper/card) are already making an impact, with residents and students in the area using them enthusiastically. "The bins are proving to be extremely popular, especially the paper one: we have had to arrange for weekly collections of the paper/card unit otherwise it is overflowing within 5 days!" said Emma Stuart, Recycling Officer for Birmingham City Council.

Prior to the new recycling scheme, residents and student houses in the Bournbrook area were given separate recycling boxes, which were collected weekly. Birmingham City Council felt that this method was inefficient, as the recycling was often contaminated and the number of boxes left out was unsightly.

Having worked with Taylor for over 20 years, developing recycling and waste solutions for Birmingham city centre and areas of high density population, the Council approached the company for guidance in modernising Bournbrook's recycling strategy. Taylor was able to recommend the Taylor Street, an innovative waste container that is designed to blend into their surroundings, whilst being clearly labelled and allowing for simple collection.

Two Street units have been placed in Bournbrook as a trial until the end of the academic year in June; one is for the collection of glass and cans, while the other has been fitted with Taylor's most recently released lid that is designed for the collection of paper and cardboard. It is hoped that the new recycling centre will make it easy for residents to dispose of their recycling and keep the area clear of recycling boxes. With one month of the trial complete the results are already beginning to look positive.

Mark Airey, Selly Oak Constituency Manager for Fleet and Waste Management, comments: "When the Taylor Street units were installed we agreed to run the trial until the end of June as we felt this would give residents the chance to acclimatise to the new system and allow the Streets to reach their full potential. After just one month the bins have already led to an extraordinary increase in recycling rates. The bins are proving to be so popular that we have had to arrange for weekly collections to prevent them from overflowing."

"We still have a few months left to complete the trial, but now we need to decide whether to keep the number of units we have, or to order more of them."

About the Taylor Street

With increasing public pressure to provide facilities for recycling and waste disposal that are easily accessible in urban areas, Taylor has developed the Street housing for its flagship Continental container. Developed in conjunction with some of Europe's leading urban designers, Taylor Street can create a focal point for waste and recycling collection that is pleasant to use and easy to empty.

Housing either an 1100 or 1280 litre container, the Taylor Street is perfect for high footfall areas which often suffer from the problem of over flowing bins. The modular system is available with a self standing steel base which means that the units can be located without the need for costly groundworks. The Street has so far proven to be extremely efficient in increasing recycling rates and has been universally praised by residents of areas where it has been installed.