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Students have been
getting to grips with the talking bin

by Jessica Banham

We’re all taught good manners at school, but it is not often you
get thanked by a famous face for remembering to put your rubbish in
a bin.

At K College in Tonbridge, they are trialling Kent’s first
talking bin.

'I just love rubbish’, 'I love it when you feed me’ and a
kiss are just some of the special messages of love that greet
students from stars such as Phil Tufnell and Amanda
Holden.

They have already been tested in London and Liverpool where they
collected 50% more rubbish than an ordinary bin.

Wendy Crowhurst, student support co-ordinator at K College,
thinks it will work here too.

“It’s fun, isn’t it?” she added. “It acknowledges the fact that
they’re actually using it. When they chuck it in an ordinary bin,
they can be grubby and dirty and sometimes I think students avoid
them for that reason but if the bin says something to you, it’s a
laugh and they’ll do it.”

Lucy, 17, a student at the college from Maidstone, agreed: “I
think it’s a really good idea because it will make people actually
put rubbish in. It sings and it’s just so cool."

As an Ambassador Authority for the Love Where You Live
campaign, Tonbridge and Malling Council has been loaned the bin by
Keep Britain Tidy.

David Campbell-Lenaghan, a council waste and street scene
management officer, said: “We are hoping to put the bin in
different schools across the area over the next few months. It gets
students talking about litter, the impact it has on the community
and it does it in an entertaining way rather than being
preachy.

“If the feedback we get is positive, we could look at getting
some local businesses to sponsor them or schools could get
sponsorship for themselves.”