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Remember that carrier bag bin from Dragons' Den? Well, you can finally buy one. To be frank, there isn't a lot to Ben the Bin -- it's essentially just some recycled plastic that neatly turns your plastic bags into a bin -- but the design works and it does come in three cute pastel hues.
The £10 bin went down well on Dragons' Den, though its maker Max McMurdo did get a hard time on the BBC show. Three Dragons voted him down, but the other two backed him. I'm glad they did. As well as encouraging reuse, Ben scores further greenie points for being made from fully recycled polypropylene.
Pricing works out at £10 including postage and packaging, though you can order three Bens for £20 and free postage.
Fingers crossed the bin will be as well made as the company's Silvana, a table made from old washing machine drums which we reviewed. You can put those old bags to work today by ordering a Ben the Bin online.
21 July 2008 04:18pm
It's a novel idea but still means those pesky plastic bags end up in landfill. Would probably be better if people used biodegradable bin bags and took their own reusable bags (Bags of Change do some sturdy ones) to the shops. I.e. didn't collect the plastic bags in the first place...
21 July 2008 10:37pm
It does fall down slightly on that count - I'd have to buy plastic bags to use with it!
22 July 2008 09:29am
Agreed, ideally we wouldn't need plastic bags in shops and we'd bring reuseable ones like this bunch (http://www.smartplanet.com/news/household/10001515/top-10-reusable-bags-cath-kidston-included.htm). But carrier bags do make for good free bin bags.
@ anon -- putting biodegradable bags in landfill isn't necessarily be better for the environment than normal plastic ones. Because stuff breaks down in landfill in an anaerobic fashion -- i.e. without oxygen -- it produces greenhouse gases. Normal plastic bags, on the other hand, just sit there. I've not seen any studies on the eco impact of the two on landfill to prove the case either way, but will update you if I find one!
23 July 2008 11:54am
I've been so good about using my reusable shopping bags I now find myself with a shortage of carrier bags to use as bin-bags - d'oh! Is there an ethical solution to this? I have to have some kind of lining in the small bins around the house.
23 July 2008 04:26pm
Hi Lozza. I'd say the best ethical bet is to buy small bin bags made from recycled plastic.
Something like this, for example:
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/tie-handle-pedal-bin-liners/F/C/cleaning-protecting/C/cleaning-protecting-bin-bags-liners/product/21595
I'm sure you can buy something similar locally, at a supermarket or otherwise.
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