German EcoTec touts bin’s virus safety

Elmshorn, Germany-based German EcoTec GmbH says its Mr. Fill waste bins help protect against viruses such as COVID-19 in public spaces because they “can be opened hygienically with one step on the foot pedal.”

The company says the containers, which are manufactured in the Netherlands and can only be opened via the foot pedal, also prevent litter, because discarded items such as face masks, disposable gloves or paper cups “are not caught by the wind [or] spread by animals.” Pedestrian zones and parking areas thus remain attractive and clean, says the company.

“After public life in Germany has been paralyzed in the past few weeks, the state governments want to further loosen the exit restrictions in the coming weeks,” says Dr. Alexander Rochlitz, managing director of German Mr. Fill sales partner German EcoTec. “Parks, promenades and beaches will fill up again. However, the danger of a second wave of contagion is far from over. Thanks to the integrated foot pedal, Mr. Fill refuse bins prevent users from being infected by touching the handle.”

In addition, Mr. Fill can act as “an intelligent and solar-powered [scrap] paper basket that compresses thrown-in [materials] with an integrated press to at least [one fifth in size],” says German EcoTec. The company says the product also has management software.

The compaction process receives energy from a solar panel on the lid of the container, so a power connection is not necessary. The waste basket can be flexibly set up outdoors with either a 120-liter (32-gallon) or a 240-liter (64-gallon) waste bin.

GPS location monitoring and an integrated ash tray also come as standard, says German EcoTec. Colors can be freely selected even with small quantity orders, adds the firm.