New smart bins will talk to the Council and tell you when they are full

West Lothian will soon have litter bins which are smarter than your average bin.

Scenes like this could soon be a thing of the past in West Lothian.

And while you won’t get a response if you ask one: “Who’s a clever bin then?”, they will tell West Lothian Council when they are full.

The council believes it will mean cleaner streets, and better use of its staff.

There will be a review of the 2,000 bins in the county and plans will target bins in heavily littered areas to improve the service.

A report to the council’s Environment PDSP said: “The sensors wirelessly communicate with the service’s asset management software. This will enable the service to accurately monitor and evidence the usage of litter bins and will also provide trend analysis including evidence of low usage, identifying when bins need to be removed or relocated,” claims the report.

“The sensors will also inform the service when bins need to be emptied, improving service efficiency.”