Bombproof bins coming to London to beat the terrorists
The humble bin, or trashcan, is set to undergo a huge makeover with receptacles for rubbish due to be installed in London next year, which are said to be bombproof. What’s more, the bins will also be recycling units and be equipped with screens displaying travel information, news alerts, and share prices.
Since the 1980s, when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was at the height of its power and regularly bombing mainland Britain, bins have been in short supply in many public areas in cities around the UK. The IRA used public bins in built-up areas for train and underground stations in order to avoid suspicion and create maximum harm.
Public trashcans had started to make a resurgence since the trouble in Ireland settled down and mainland terrorism became very rare. But one set of terrorists has replaced another, and the London bombings from July 2005 meant all the good work was undone, and the bins disappeared once again.
These days, you’re lucky to even find a clear plastic bag option for putting in around London, but this is all set to change in 2009. Times Online reports how new bombproof bins are set to be installed around the financial district of London.
Hundreds of these high-tech bins will be installed in the City of London, and if successful, other parts of London will then also obtain the super bins. They have been developed by a British company called Media Metrica, but if the London experiment proves successful, the bins could find themselves used in Wall Street, New York, and world financial districts such as Dubai.
The bins are made mostly of steel, and contain the heat and shrapnel generated by any blast. The shock wave of an explosion is also reduced substantially and any fireball generated is extinguished before it has chance to cause damage to surrounding buildings and people. The bins have been tested in New Mexico for the past five years.
The screens on the sides of the bins will show Renew, an information service intended to relay news and financial data to passers-by.
It may seem trivial to some, but rubbish is an increasing problem in city centers, and the lack of available bins thanks to the actions of terrorists means the amount of people just tossing their garbage in the street has increased substantially in recent years. These bins will not only lessen the waste problem and increase recycling, but also potentially prevent terrorist attacks of these kinds from happening in key parts of major cities.
And with London 2012 approaching fast, security in Britain’s capital is going to have to tighten up considerably.
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