Grantham woman creates miniature bins to show what goes in each as purple-lidded bin collections start this week

A woman has created miniature bins in a bid to help people understand what needs to go in each of them as they start to be collected.

Lauren Mann, founder of Grantham-based befriending service Farrow Friends, has devised the scheme to help elderly and vulnerable people get to grips with the changes which are being implemented in South Kesteven.

The district council has introduced a purple bin for paper and card recycling, which start to be collected from today (Monday, February 5). During January, binmen tagged silver recycling bins with items in that should have been in either the purple bin or the black bin for general waste.

Also: Your questions answered on introduction of purple bins

Lauren came up with the idea of the miniature bins with the help of graphic designer Helen Bluesky, who has created stickers for each of the bins to show what can and can’t go in them. Lauren said the introduction of the new bins had started to cause “confusion for a lot of people who struggle to adjust to new processes”.

The bins are there to help people who may find it harder to know what to put in the bins, including elderly people and people with additional needs.

Lauren, from Grantham, added: “I thought having a clear and concise label could help prevent bins being returned or refused.

“These resources are great for elderly people, but they are also fantastic for many people of any age.

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“These are great for children, those with additional or SEND needs and people with memory processing disorders.

“We've had orders from a diverse range of people and this product is available to anyone who needs it.

“I think this will help people ease into a new routine much more easily and promote independence.

“It gives that little bit of control back to those who would otherwise struggle which can be really empowering for people who rely on the support of others.”

There are plenty of bins available for people to purchase and stickers can also be purchased separately.

To purchase all three bins with stickers on it costs £65 with free delivery to people within the South Kesteven area and for the three labels it costs £7.50, including postage.

Lauren says she will keep up with the demand of the number of people who need them.

Anyone who wishes to buy a bin can email admin@farrowfriends.co.uk.

Collections for the purple-lidded bins are due to be collected for the first time today (Monday, February 5).