That's an excellent and practical question for urban planning or community management. Figuring out the right number of bins is a balance between keeping the area clean and avoiding unnecessary cost and clutter. There's no single universal number, but a standard professional method involves a few key steps.
First, you need to assess the pedestrian volume. A high-foot-traffic downtown area will need significantly more bins than a quiet residential street. You can observe or use existing traffic counts.
Next, consider bin capacity and collection frequency. A standard sidewalk bin is often around 30-50 gallons. How often will it be emptied? If collection is daily, a bin that fills up by noon is insufficient.
A common starting point is a spacing guideline. Many municipal standards place bins every 200-300 feet in high-traffic zones. For a one-mile stretch (5,280 feet), this translates to roughly 18-26 bins if spaced at 200-300 foot intervals.
However, you must identify key accumulation points. Always place bins at natural stopping points: bus stops, park benches, street food vendors, crosswalk waiting areas, and building entrances. These spots generate more litter.
Finally, apply the "capacity calculation." Estimate the daily litter generation per person (a very rough estimate is 0.1-0.2 lbs). Multiply by the daily pedestrian count to get total daily waste volume. Then, divide by your bin's capacity to see how many bin-fuls are generated. This, compared to your collection schedule, tells you if your proposed number of bins is adequate.
For example: A moderately busy sidewalk with 2,000 pedestrians daily might generate 300 lbs of waste. With 40-gallon bins (holding ~20 lbs of compacted litter), that's 15 bin-fuls. If bins are emptied daily, you need at least 15 bins strategically placed along the mile to prevent overflow. This aligns with the spacing guideline.
Start with the 200-300 ft spacing rule, then adjust by adding bins at hot spots and verifying the capacity math. Pilot the layout and be prepared to adjust based on real-world overflow complaints or underuse. The goal is clean sidewalks without visual pollution from excessive bins.