Thousands of Glasgow public bins are to have new phone scanning codes displayed – so residents can complain instantly about overflowing litter.

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said the QR codes are coming to the city streets this year. The technology means it will be easier for people to instantly report if bins are full, damaged or have rubbish lying around.

The code provides a scannable image that can be processed using a smartphone camera.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We are introducing QR codes to all of our publicly-sited bins to make it easier for residents to report any issues with those bins.

“Each bin will have its own unique code and that will allow our staff to identify rapidly issues with any of our 5000 street litter bins or at more than 700 recycling points across the city.

“Bins can fill up quickly if there is a surge in demand at a specific location or end up damaged for a variety of reasons and reports from people on the street can make a big difference to how quickly our staff can respond.

He said it is hoped ” residents will see them as a useful tool in the effort to keep the city’s environment in good order.”