A NEW service has been launched in York and North Yorkshire, offering businesses and organisations coloured waste bins designed to blend in with their surroundings.

York Minster has become the first organisation to sign up to the ‘Heritage Bins’ service, provided by waste management company Yorwaste.

The cathedral opted for black bins because they are situated behind Grade 2 listed black railings near the Chapter House, but colours can be chosen from a range so they blend in with, for example, stone.

Director of works and precinct, Alex McCallion, said waste bins were a necessity in any organisation but their aesthetics were particularly important when considering the impact on a significant heritage asset, such as the Minster.

“We have already received many compliments on the visual improvement these bins have made," he added.