Digbeth, the vibrant and rapidly evolving creative quarter of Birmingham, faced a severe environmental challenge. Despite being home to innovative businesses and iconic venues, the estate suffered from chronic street litter, driven by outdated, open-top bins that were highly vulnerable to weather and pests. Furthermore, the site offered zero capacity for on-the-go recycling.

By partnering with Future Street to deploy a highly visible, mixed fleet of Bigbelly Smart Max compactors and Element stations, Digbeth entirely transformed its public realm. The estate reduced its physical bin footprint by over half, completely eradicated wind-blown litter, and achieved an exceptional 60% on-the-go recycling rate with some of the lowest contamination levels in the country.

The Client: A Fearless, Inventive Spirit

Digbeth is a uniquely growing neighbourhood of eclectic individuals and innovative businesses, situated right in the heart of Birmingham’s former industrial centre. It is a place widely recognised for its limitless potential and a fearless, inventive spirit.

Operating as a dynamic, mixed-use site, the estate encompasses everything from cutting-edge creative studios and modern office spaces to bustling retail units and independent coffee shops. Anchored by the iconic Custard Factory and a highly popular new food hall, Digbeth attracts a constant, heavy footfall of professionals, residents, and tourists. It is a destination that promises world-class experiences to the occupants and visitors who utilise the estate daily.

However, delivering on that promise requires an environment that visually matches the high standards of the businesses operating within it.

The Solution: A Strategic, Branded Deployment

To solve these systemic issues, the estate required a complete overhaul of its streetscape infrastructure. Future Street proposed a targeted, mixed-fleet deployment of Bigbelly stations, specifically combining the high-capacity Smart Max (570L) compactors with the non-compacting Element (189L) stations.

This deployment strategy was meticulously planned to address the specific challenges of the Digbeth site:

1. Total Litter Containment

Unlike the legacy wall-mounted bins, the Bigbelly stations feature a fully enclosed, hopper-style design. Once waste is deposited, it is physically sealed inside. This instantly prevents wind from catching the rubbish and completely cuts off access for urban pests, eradicating two of the estate’s primary sources of visual litter.

2. Strategic Visibility and Branding

Behavioural studies have consistently shown that brightly coloured bins are used over 20% more frequently than traditional black or dark-coloured alternatives. To maximise usage and prevent litter dropping, the new infrastructure needed to be highly visible. Furthermore, Digbeth is renowned for its excellent visual identity. The Bigbelly units were fully wrapped in bright, bespoke designs, seamlessly embracing the vibrant branding that Digbeth delivers across the rest of the estate.

3. Tackling Contamination with Dedicated Streams

To achieve ambitious sustainability targets, the site moved from a single waste stream to a comprehensive three-stream system:

• General Waste
• Mixed Dry Recycling
• Dedicated Used Coffee Cups

The addition of a standalone coffee cup stream was a critical, strategic decision. Across the wider market, single-use coffee cups are a primary driver of recycling contamination, as the general public frequently—and incorrectly—assumes they can be placed in standard mixed recycling. By separating them out entirely, Future Street provided a clear, foolproof system for visitors.

The Outcomes: Industry-Leading Results

The transformation across the Digbeth estate following the Bigbelly deployment has been immediate and profound, setting a new benchmark for mixed-use sites across the UK.

Unlocking Operational Efficiency

Because the Smart Max stations automatically compact waste on demand, they hold significantly more volume before requiring a collection. This has fundamentally shifted how the facilities team operates. Rather than spending their shifts constantly emptying overflowing wall-mounted bins, the team now has the time and resources returned to them to focus on detailed litter picking and proactive site maintenance.

Exceptional Recycling Performance

The environmental data speaks for itself. Since the installation, an incredible 60% of all on-the-go waste across the Digbeth estate is now successfully recycled.

Furthermore, the strategic decision to implement a dedicated coffee cup stream has been a resounding success. By removing this highly confusing item from the main recycling stream, Digbeth now boasts some of the lowest recycling contamination rates in the entire country.

A Pristine Environment

Through this partnership with Future Street, Digbeth has successfully delivered on its promise to its world-class occupants and the public, providing a clean, tidy, and highly sustainable environment that perfectly matches its fearless, innovative spirit.

SCEPTRE Awards 2026

As a result of the innovative solutions introduced at Digbeth, and their positive results, Digbeth Estate has been announced as a finalist at the SCEPTRE Awards 2026 in two categories:

1. Innovation of the Year
2. Sustainability Initiative of the Year

This is a fantastic achievement, and we look forward to attending the awards ceremony with you in September and cheering you on!