A UK multi-millionaire has created a new sleeping pod which he believes will keep rough sleepers dry at night.
Cambridge-based Peter Dawe merged two wheelie bins together at the hinges to create his DIY shelters. The bins then fold shut together to create a nearly enclosed space.
He told the Cambridge Independent he wants the design to "go global" to help homeless people.
"Some people think it's absolute genius, some people are actually horrified. 'Oh you can't put homeless people in rubbish bins', they say. My argument is I'm not putting homeless people in there, they are choosing it," he said.
The businessman said he first had the idea of using wheelie bins as a shelter when he built a single-person car prototype - also made from a bin.
"It was just one of those bright spark ideas - I thought this might work. So I put one together and got in it and thought yeah this does work."
He's laid down in one of his sleeping pods "for some tens of minutes" but thinks it would be nicer if they were slightly bigger.
Dawe has taken two prototypes to an accommodation refuge for homeless people, Jimmy's Cambridge.
But even after demonstrating the pods, there weren't any takers.
What Dawe would like to see is a quality sleep pod that has solar panels, windows, an interior light and is easy to use. But he first wants to test whether rough sleepers will even take refuge in a plastic pod.
He now has plans to make a YouTube video showing people how to create their own wheelie bin pod, which he said each cost £100 (NZD$200).
