London Marathon To Utilize ‘Bomb-Proof’ Trash Bins [Photos]


London, UK – London Marathon organizers are preparing to step up security arrangements in the wake of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing, with new bomb-proof trash bins set to protect runners and spectators.

Sunday’s London Marathon will see 100 of the hi-tech bins (pictured above) installed along the race’s 26-mile route. The bins, which were originally introduced for the 2012 Olympic Games, are made by Renew. The company describes the five-foot-high units as “blast mitigating” recycling “pods.”

Kaveh Memari, CEO of Renew, told ABC damage would be significantly reduced if an explosive device was placed in one of the bins pods:

“It’s exactly this kind of thing that this thing was designed to handle. We don’t use the word ‘bin’ at all as most times people would not envision a Renew Pod. It’s like referring to an email as a message, an armoured transport a wagon, or a smartphone a telephone to someone who has never written an email, been in a tank nor used a mobile.”

The new pods underwent blast testing at New Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, which provides training approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

The fancy trash pods are not only bomb-proof, but can also fill the “informational black hole,” insists Memari. To you and I, that means the units can use their LCD screens to display information on road and subway closures.

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other major public safety threat, the screens can also be deployed as a sort of emergency broadcast system. The pods could provide up-to-date information to the public should phone networks go down (as they did after the 7/7 bombings).

With Margaret Thatcher’s funeral scheduled for Wednesday, London is in the midst of a security frenzy right now. Trash bins in the city have been used to hide bombs in the past. With Renew’s pods in place, a potential tragedy could be averted.

Share this article: London Marathon To Utilize ‘Bomb-Proof’ Trash Bins [Photos]
More from Inquisitr