Litter bins with ashtrays

Litter bins with ashtrays combine the function of a litter bin with a safe receptacle for cigarette ends — a practical solution at entrances to public buildings, at bus and tram stops and in smoking areas.

They reduce littering with cigarette ends and lower the fire risk associated with cigarettes that have not been properly extinguished.

Many site regulations and fire safety rules require designated places for extinguishing cigarettes in such locations — a combined bin and ashtray makes it possible to meet this requirement without installing a separate ashtray. Valued by office building managers and station operators. Like most products in the street and park litter bins section, it performs well under intensive use in public spaces.

Structurally, a bin with ashtray relies on a separate compartment for cigarette ends, usually filled with sand or a metal extinguishing insert that cuts off the oxygen supply and prevents the cigarette from smouldering inside the receptacle. This significantly reduces the risk of fire compared with a situation in which a cigarette end goes straight into the compartment for dry waste such as paper or packaging — which is exactly where dangerous ignitions in street bins most often occur.

Free-standing versions work well at building entrances and in designated outdoor smoking areas, while wall-mounted or post-mounted models save space where the free flow of pedestrians matters, for example on narrow pavements in front of office buildings in city centres. Where there is heavy smoker footfall, a model with a larger cigarette-end compartment is worth considering, as overly frequent emptying generates additional servicing costs.

Servicing a bin with ashtray differs slightly from an ordinary bin — in addition to emptying the waste compartment, the extinguishing insert must also be periodically cleared of accumulated cigarette ends and ash, ideally on a schedule matched to the actual footfall at the location. Neglecting this leads to the compartment filling up faster, with the associated risk that subsequent users will start throwing cigarette ends into the section intended for solid waste.

When choosing the material, the level of exposure to vandalism at the location should be taken into account — stainless steel looks good at the entrances to modern office buildings and shopping centres, while powder-coated galvanised steel is often the more practical choice in places with more intensive public use, such as stations or public transport stops.