Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Ten automatic waste compactor bins will be installed in the district of Ciutat Vella over the coming days. These large-capacity bins are for intensively used public spaces and can collect up to five times the volume of a standard litter bin. The pilot project will be used to assess the broader implementation of these bins around other points in the city.

The compactor bins have a sealed design to prevent animals interfering with them or bad smells spreading. They also feature a warning system for when they are close to reaching maximum capacity, and a software interface for apps that can connect to the cleaning services management platform for the city, meaning they are technologically advanced.

The bins are more sustainable for three reasons: they reduce the frequency of collections, and consequently the mobilisation of cleaning vehicles, they work with solar technology and they have a useful life of more than ten years.

The ten initial units are located in the heart of the city: in Plaça Comercial, in Carrer de Valldonzella with Carrer de de Joaquín Costa, in Plaça de Sant Miquel, in La Rambla, next to Plaça de Catalunya (two bins), in the final section of La Rambla (two bins), in Plaça de la Catedral, in Plaça de Vicenç Martorell with Carrer de les Ramelleres and in Plaça del Mar.

The Pla Endreça in Ciutat Vella

The introduction of this new model of litter bin is part of the Pla Endreça, which in Ciutat Vella means the replacement of 221 pneumatic waste drop-boxes and the 1,504 traditional litter bins in the district. Bins with a capacity of less than 70 litres and double bins of 140 litres are to be substituted with the Barcelona model, with a 70-litre capacity, and the double bin, of 220 litres, in zones with the most intensive use. A further 20 bins will be added in spaces where more intensive use has been identified.