Closing the lid on waste

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has launched a new smartphone app to help its residents get a grip on their waste management.

The Bin-ovation app was designed by a local couple, Michael and Deborah Brady. They’re a busy, young working family and, conscious of their sometimes overflowing bins, wrong colour bins left out on the wrong days and bins not being collected due to contamination, they decided to pursue a solution.  

Bin-ovation deals with all of these common household waste disposal issues. The high-tech app provides information about recycling, boosting awareness of some of the key waste management issues, as well as organisational information.  It encourages householders to reduce, re-use and recycle effectively.

The overall layout and design of the app is clear and concise. The various tabs display all the relevant waste disposal information. There are different slides for each colour of bin, which gives a breakdown of what type of household waste material goes into each bin, helping to overcome waste contamination.

The news and info tab can give householders information that helps to change waste disposal behaviours, as Bin-ovation explains the waste hierarchy, how you can reduce food waste, how you can re-use certain waste materials and how you can recycle household goods. Other features of the app include keeping every user up to date with local information such as holiday reminders, bin collection date changes, and new recycling initiatives.

Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Cllr Thomas O Reilly, said, “Bin-ovation is an innovative app that assists householders to reduce, reuse and recycle better, protecting our environment and reducing the costs associated with waste disposal. The app gives us the opportunity to communicate directly with our residents on issues that can really make a difference. I would encourage residents to download the app which gives instant access to a wide range of waste and recycling information”

The new app is set to be rolled out to all district council areas to further encourage best practice waste management behaviours.

Deborah Madden

For more information, click here to contact Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.