Protecting Wildlife and Improving Waste Management with Public Bin Stores in the New Forest

Solution

To address these challenges, Forestry England has installed numerous public bin stores across a multitude of locations within the New Forest. Designed specifically for demanding outdoor environments, our robust wheelie bin stores provide a secure enclosure for standard wheelie bins, helping to prevent wildlife access while improving the appearance and functionality of waste collection points.

Unlike open litter bins commonly seen in public places, each bin store fully encloses the waste container, creating a safer and more controlled waste management solution and adding an additional layer of protection around the bin itself, helping to contain debris and odours. The stores are carefully designed to withstand constant public use, challenging weather conditions, and the unique environmental pressures associated with managing busy countryside destinations. 

By implementing these secure waste containment systems, Forestry England has been able to support its wider environmental objectives while maintaining practical and efficient waste collection operations.

Protecting Wildlife

One of the primary drivers behind the installation of these public bin stores is wildlife protection.

In the New Forest, animals regularly interact with visitor facilities. Traditional waste bins can provide easy access to discarded food and litter, encouraging animals to forage in inappropriate locations and eat unsuitable food, increasing the risk of harm. Plastic packaging, food wrappers, and other waste materials can be mistaken for food, creating potentially serious consequences for wildlife health. In addition, while the New Forest is renowned for its close wildlife encounters, animals that begin to associate people with food can become bolder in their behaviour. This increases the risk of negative interactions and can compromise the safety and wellbeing of both wildlife and visitors.

The enclosed design of the wheelie bin stores helps prevent access to waste by free roaming New Forest horses and ponies, deer, birds, foxes, and other animals, reducing the risk of litter being scattered throughout the surrounding environment and helping to protect local wildlife. This supports conservation efforts while helping maintain cleaner and safer environments for both wildlife and visitors.

Preventing Wind-Blown Litter

Forestry England also faces the challenge of litter being dispersed by wind. Open bins can allow lightweight waste materials to escape, particularly during periods of poor weather. Once litter enters woodland areas, heathland, or open countryside, it can be difficult and costly to remove. 

The enclosed nature of these wooden bin stores provides an effective barrier against wind blown waste. By securely housing wheelie bins within a protective structure, rubbish remains contained until collection, helping to preserve the natural appearance of Forestry England sites and reduce the environmental impact of litter.

Supporting Environmental Objectives

Forestry England actively encourages visitors to behave responsibly by taking litter home where possible and helping protect natural environments. However, waste facilities remain essential in many popular locations, particularly within busy car parks and visitor hubs. 

The installation of public bin stores complements Forestry England's broader environmental strategy by ensuring that any waste deposited on site remains secure until collection. The stores provide a practical solution that aligns with conservation goals while meeting the needs of visitors.

By reducing wildlife access, preventing litter dispersal, and maintaining tidy waste collection areas, the stores help Forestry England achieve a more sustainable approach to visitor facility management.

Bin Stores Built to Last

Public sector organisations increasingly focus on whole life costs when procuring site infrastructure. Durability, maintenance requirements, and long term value are all critical considerations.

Every wheelie bin store is backed by a 25 year guarantee against rot and insect attack, providing exceptional confidence in long term performance. 

This extended service life delivers several important benefits, including an outstanding return on investment, reduced replacement costs, lower maintenance requirements, and long term reliability in challenging outdoor environments. For organisations managing extensive estates, these advantages can generate significant savings over time while ensuring dependable performance year after year. 

Designed for Demanding Outdoor Environments 

Forestry England sites are exposed to a wide range of environmental and operational pressures. Waste management infrastructure must perform reliably throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions or visitor numbers. 

Our outdoor bin stores are built to withstand heavy public use, high visitor footfall, adverse weather conditions, daily waste management operations, and potential vandalism, ensuring reliable long term performance in even the most demanding public environments.

Enhancing Site Appearance

Waste collection points are often an unavoidable necessity, but they do not need to detract from the surrounding environment. 

A key advantage of these bin stores is their ability to conceal standard wheelie bins behind an attractive timber enclosure. This creates a cleaner, more organised appearance which complements the natural scenery of the New Forest. 

Improving Operational Efficiency

In addition to delivering environmental benefits, the stores provide practical advantages for waste management teams. Their organised and secure design allows operatives to access bins easily for collection, maintain tidier waste areas, reduce time spent dealing with animal-related litter dispersal, and improve cleanliness around visitor facilities. By minimising loose litter and keeping waste securely contained, the stores help improve operational efficiency and support more effective site maintenance. 

Forestry England's use of our public bin stores demonstrates how secure waste containment can help protect wildlife, reduce litter, and maintain cleaner visitor facilities. Combining durable construction, attractive design, and a 25 year guarantee, these wheelie bin stores provide a practical, long term solution for forests, country parks, visitor attractions, and other public spaces.

Related content

Commercial Bin Stores and Compounds

Types of wheelie bin storage