Most of Tallinn's streets will not have public trash bins until spring
Many trash bins have disappeared from Tallinn's streetsides, and the city government plans to install new ones by spring. However, Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere assures that this doesn't mean the city will experience a trash overflow in the meantime.
Tallinn's contract with the company that managed trash bins attached to street posts and used as advertising space expired at the end of summer. As a result, pedestrians looking to dispose of trash are finding it challenging in many areas, as there are no bins available.
Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) told ERR that a framework contract for purchasing new street furniture, including trash bins, is currently in the works.
"For the first time, we are creating a comprehensive and systematic approach to managing street trash bins in Tallinn," he said. "The procurement is on schedule, and we expect to have the new benches and trash bins installed by spring, just as we've always planned."
According to Pere, the temporary absence of trash bins has not created a critical shortage.
"There has not been, nor will there be, a trash overflow. This is evident from the fact that, at the beginning of autumn, some city districts chose not to order temporary trash bins, while others requested an average of around a dozen new bins. Undoubtedly, there are streets and locations that need trash bins, and that's precisely why we are establishing this framework contract," Pere promised.
According to Deputy Mayor Pere, the new framework contract will allow the city to order both three-compartment and single-compartment trash bins. It's also possible that some bins will be mounted on posts, but they will be installed at a more practical height and not solely for advertising purposes, as was the case previously.
The exact number of trash bins to be ordered will depend on collaboration with the district governments.
Pere could not yet specify the total cost of the new trash solution, but he noted that three-compartment bins will be more expensive due to their larger size and the need for a specialized vehicle to empty them, as the bins separate trash into three categories.
Previously, Prisma NET managed Tallinn's trash bins, peaking at 2,200 post-mounted bins. Their contract with the city expired at the end of summer. The company previously reported that these bins collected about one-third of Tallinn's street trash, or roughly 100 tons annually.
The city chose not to renew the contract with Prisma NET, as the company indicated that the previous terms were no longer financially viable for them, while the city concluded that such a high number of bins might not be necessary. Additionally, Pere noted that the post-mounted bins had deteriorated and that the ads displayed on them contributed to visual clutter in the city landscape.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Marcus Turovski