The following is reprinted with permission from the Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA). For more information, go to http://www.digitalscreenmedia.org.

A new digital screen network just sprang up on the streets of London. In the simplest terms, it’s a digital trash can network. The “smart bins” are recycling stations with LCD screens affixed to each side. Renew, the company behind the project, has installed 25 units around the city of London.

Articles on Techcrunch and the Daily Mail cite that the 25 “smart bins” cost a total of $47,000 to deploy. That number seems extremely low to me, especially considering the costs associated with weatherproofing such systems and protecting them against vandalism.

Encouraging recycling is great, but Renew is clearly aiming to turn these units into a DOOH network. Given the extra costs and risks associated with outdoor digital signage installation, this network could be dead on arrival. I certainly wouldn’t invest in Renew’s next round of funding.

What do you think? Is there a future for Renew and its “smart bins?”