Roadside litter has been a persistent problem which has plagued Suffolk for years.

To combat the issue the Suffolk Waste Partnership (SWP) placed a series of bright orange bins in lay-bys known to be litter hotspots.

Three bins were placed along the A146 at Beccles in March, as well as on the A11, A12, A14 and A140.

And now as part of the campaign’s second phase, each bin will be installed with a remote device to measure the bin fill levels, the most used bin and to calculate the number of days until a bin will be full.

The devices will give operational staff more flexibility to schedule the emptying of bins when they are at their optimum fill level instead of being on a rigid emptying schedule.

Councillor David Bowman, chairman of SWP, said: “The bins are being funded by a £10,000 award from the Government’s Litter Innovation Fund. It is intended to reduce and prevent litter through new methods tried before, which have potential for wider use if they prove effective.

“I’m very excited by what this project has the potential to achieve, namely reducing litter and the £300,000 annual bill for clearing it up on Suffolk’s major A-roads.

“People visiting Suffolk are likely to arrive using one of the main ‘A’ roads which is why it is so important that their first impression of Suffolk is a good one and that those who live, work or travel here care about the way it looks.”

The aim of the partnership campaign is to influence a change in behaviour when people dispose of their litter, either using a litter bin or taking their litter home instead of discarding it onto the roadside verges.

There has also been an increase in fines for littering of up to £150 which is hoped to deter any potential litterers.

In Beccles the bins have been an instant success and helped to transform the notorious lay-bys.

Prior to the installation of the bins volunteer litter pickers from the Beccles Bombles were left disgusted after discovering a mountain of urine-filled bottles and bags containing human waste.