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Major cities around the world are constantly looking for innovative ways of repurposing and redesigning everyday necessities, aiming to make them more attractive and functional. The most recent example we’ve spotted is London’s Renew, with their network of London recycling points featuring built-in screens to alert City workers with up-to-date information ranging from weather reports to the latest stock market results. Launched at the end of last month, some 200 displays have been placed on the side of specially-designed “communication pods” within the Square Mile. The company was offered a 21-year tender by the City of London to reduce the number of free newspapers being left in the streets, and as well as offering a recycling solution, the screens have provided a digital alternative — showing content covering a range of areas, including news, sports, arts, fashion and travel updates. The devices are bomb-proof, while the low-energy screens automatically alter their brightness in reaction to the light levels of the environment. Analysis by Renew suggests that each screen already reaches between 10,000 and 30,000 people each day, and the collective audience is set to grow to 3 million by the time of the 2012 London Olympics. This solution provides Londoners with genuinely useful information, while serving the city’s recycling needs. On top of that, Renew hope to reap the benefits from the advertising they serve via the bins. Inspiration for urban entrepreneurs hoping to make a change in their own city! Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage