Pupils give D&G bin lorries 'quirky' new names to celebrate recycling rollout

230621 - DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY BIN LORRIES - LDR
Credit: Local Democratic Reporting System

School pupils have given nicknames to the area's bin lorries - which have now been officially adopted by Dumfries and Galloway Council's waste department.

The council's fleet of 24 vehicles will now have new monikers emblazoned across them including Dustin Bieber, Trash Gordon, Bin Diesel, Ter-Bin-Ator, Greta Binberg and Binny McBinface.

Youngsters from across the region chipped in with their best puns as part of a competition run by the council.

Other winning entries for two new electric vehicles, which operate in Nithsdale and Wigtownshire, were the names Pollution Solution and Lambergreenie.

Councillor Andy Ferguson, chairman of the communities committee, told Local Democratic Reporting: "There were so many fantastic and very funny suggestions and the judges really struggled to choose the winners.

"Residents throughout Dumfries and Galloway can now keep an eye out for the newly-named lorries as they travel throughout the region doing their rounds, including collections for the new kerbside recycling service." 

The naming contest was run in conjunction with the launch of the region's new kerbside waste and recycling service, with Dumfries and Galloway Council inviting primary school and first year secondary pupils to put forward their suggested names for the bin lorries.

The waste collection fleet, which covers over 500,000 miles per year collecting household waste and recycling, will now do its rounds with the new names emblazoned across its vehicles.

Winning entrants came from pupils ranging from P1 to S1 from a number of mainly primary schools from across the region including Amisfield, Cargenbridge, Castle Douglas Primary and High School, Crossmichael, Dalbeattie, Dalry, Gatehouse, Glenluce, Heathhall, Hottsbridge, Kelloholm, Kells, Kirkcudbright, Loreburn, Newington, North West Community Campus, Penpont, St Michaels, St Teresa's RC, Troqueer, and Wallace Hall.

Following the introduction of kerbside recycling collections in Wigtownshire last November, the service was extended to Stewartry in March and then rolled out across Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale.

Most households in those areas received two 240 litre recycling wheelie bins - a blue-lidded bin for paper, card and cardboard; and a red-lidded bin for plastics, metals and cartons.

Flats and other properties which cannot accommodate the standard size bins have received shared recycling bins or reusable recycling sacks.

The new service operates over a four-week cycle, with residents' recyclable and non-recyclable waste collected on an alternating weekly basis with only one bin set out for collection each week.

Councillor John Martin, vice-chairman of the Communities Committee, added: "We're delighted with the initial success of the new service and we encourage local residents to continue their efforts in recycling their waste as our newly christened collection lorries visit their communities."

More information about the new service, including a full A-Z list of what can be placed in each bin or recycled at a household waste recycling centre, plus dates for when the service will be rolled out to different areas across Dumfries and Galloway, can be found here.