The idea behind Bright Binnie

I’m Alexia, a 16 year old who’s just finished her GCSE’s.

My dad once told me about the problems he was having with remembering bin collection days. Using his brilliantly nerdy brain, he came up with a fantastic solution, and I immediately thought it was a brilliant idea. During our hour-long car journeys to school, we would constantly talk about the product and how useful it could be. At the time, neither of us ever considered turning it into a business—it was simply a hobby and an interesting project.

Then my GCSEs finished, and summer arrived. I didn’t have many plans, and I often found myself sitting alone in my room, trying to escape the heat and wondering how to spend my time productively. That’s when I started thinking seriously about Bright Binnie.

Instead of wasting my summer, I decided to build something meaningful. I wanted to create a business that could genuinely help people, so I began working on Bright Binnie. I found every part of the journey fascinating—not only the product itself, but also the challenge of building a business from the ground up.

When Bright Binnie was finally ready to launch, I took the leap and put it out into the world. Looking back, I’m incredibly glad I made that decision. Today, people regularly thank me for helping them remember their bin collection days, and knowing that something I helped create makes everyday life a little easier for others is an amazing feeling.

I’m Adam, Alexia’s dad and the creator of Bright Binnie.

After having yet another argument with my partner, Katy, about the bins because I’d forgotten to put them out again, I decided enough was enough. I started searching for an app or product that could help me remember bin collection days. After spending hours looking online, I was surprised to find that nothing really suited my needs.

That night, lying in bed next to my understandably frustrated fiancée, I came up with the idea for Bright Binnie. I thought, “If there was a light near our door that changed to the colour of the bin that needed putting out, I’d never forget again.”

However, I didn’t want just another ordinary light by the front door. I wanted something fun, practical, and unique. So I asked my close friend Joel to 3D print a miniature wheelie bin for me.

The next day, I spent hours at my laptop developing the software. I connected a small computer to my Wi-Fi and linked it to local council collection schedules. Once everything was working together, Bright Binnie was born: a miniature 3D wheelie bin that glows the colour of the bin due for collection that week.

To me, it felt like a genius solution. Originally, I only built one for my own household, but when Alexia became excited about the idea, I realised it might have potential beyond just helping me. As I spoke to friends and family about it, they all agreed it was a clever and genuinely useful concept.

At first, nothing much came of it. Then one day, Alexia approached me and asked if she could turn it into a real business. After very little thought, I said yes. I wanted this product to help as many people as possible, just as it had helped me.

I supported Alexia with the technical and coding side of the project, and together we developed Bright Binnie into a product that was ready to launch. Seeing it grow from a simple idea born out of frustration into a real business has been incredibly rewarding.

Today, one of my favourite things is hearing from customers who tell me how many arguments Bright Binnie has saved them from. Knowing that a small idea can make everyday life easier—and households a little happier—makes all the hard work worthwhile.