Bin lorry naming competition winners get behind the wheel of Ed Sheerbin
Babergh and Mid Suffolk’s bin lorry naming competition winners have enjoyed the chance to get behind the wheel of Ed Sheerbin and Binnie the Pooh.
Hosted at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ Sudbury depot, winners were able to ‘drive’ a bin lorry, see it in action, and ask crews their burning bin and recycling questions.
They also received a certificate with a picture of their named bin lorry, and a high vis vest to take home.
Jason Alexander, who named the Bincredible Hulk and Mary Popbins lorries, said:
“It’s been absolutely brilliant, one of the best things was seeing the children’s faces as they got to sit in the cabs of the new bin lorries.
“I got to live a childhood dream as well by sitting in the cab of a bin lorry and it was fascinating to see how they all work.”
The 22 winning names were chosen by the councils’ waste team and crews at the end of last year, and the lorries began hitting the roads over the winter. They saw off over 400 individual name suggestions sent into the councils - with locals of all ages, from villages to towns, all getting in on the fun.
They are:
- Ed Sheerbin
Submitted by Margaret Sparkes
- Gary Bineker
Submitted by Gavin Pullen
- Stranger Bins
Submitted by Spencer Brown - Chitty Chitty Bin Bin
Submitted by Belinda Betham - The Binbetweeners
Submitted by Ben Griffin - Strictly Come Binning
Submitted by Peter Batte
- Binderella
Submitted by Jemima Jackson (16 or under) of Hadleigh Community Primary School - Trashosaurus
Submitted by Xavier Mack (16 or under) of Yorley Barn Nursery, Little Cornard
- Mission Binpossible
Submitted by Amber Friend (16 or under) of East Bergholt VCP School
- The Binner Takes It All
Submitted by Patrick Nicholls (16 or under) of Littlegarth Nursery, Nayland - Lord of the Bins
Submitted by Lexi Underhay (16 or under) - Beauty and the Bin
Submitted by Erin Millin (16 or under) of Hartismere High School - Waste warriors
Submitted by Alyse Driver, on behalf of Year 5 pupils at Wood Ley Primary School, Stowmarket
- Bin here, there, everywhere
Submitted by Jake Fullam (16 or under) of Norton Primary School
- Binnie the Pooh
Submitted by Trudy Jackson
- Bincredible Hulk
Submitted by Jason Alexander
- The Adventures of Binbin
Submitted by Maxine Smith
- Binin' in the Rain
Submitted by Simon Coulson
- Bindiana Jones
Submitted by Antony Price
- To Binfinity and Beyond
Submitted by David John Carruthers
- Mary Popbins
Submitted by Jason Alexander
- Gone with the Bin
Submitted by Sarah Carruthers
The competition was launched to mark the councils’ biggest upgrade to their 35-strong waste fleet in almost 10 years – an investment of £2m*.
They are fuelled by certified sustainable Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) produced from waste cooking oil, after Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils became the first rural UK councils to switch to the fuel in 2021. This slashes the lorries CO2 emissions by up to 90%, as well as reducing other pollutants.
And, as with their predecessors, they are expected to empty around a combined 40 million bins over their working lifetimes.
Cllr Elisabeth Malvisi, cabinet member for environment at Babergh District Council, said:
“Collecting your bin is one of our most visible jobs, so it was great to be able to give our competition winners an insight into bin crew life.
“Their arrival is anticipated by many, and they carry out over 100,000 collections every week, rain or shine. Of course, to do this, it’s essential that we have a modern and reliable fleet.
“It was great to see hundreds of you engage in the competition, and I hope the lorries, which run on special used vegetable oil, catch your eye as they pass by with important waste messages and catchy names.”
Cllr Jessica Fleming, cabinet member for environment at Mid Suffolk District Council, said:
“This competition gave us a great opportunity to give our winners a behind the scenes glimpse into the life of our bin crews.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the street binfluencer or one of our youngest residents – the weekly arrival of our crews is eagerly awaited by many.
“And, with over 100,000 collections to carry out a week, they need modern and reliable lorries.
“They might be bright and colourful, but they also have important messages about recycling and waste too – so do keep an eye out for them when you’re out and about or watching from your window.”