In these times when we all crave the latest technology and design, even a household waste bin needs to be futuristic - as Pembrokeshire student Oliver Bowen proved when he scooped a national design award.

Oliver, a former pupil of Pembroke School who is now studying at the University of West England, won the Brabantia Design Award, a competition devised to find the kitchen bin of the future.

The winning design, which he developed with two team members, had two unique features - a built-in UV light to destroy odours and bacteria, and a front opening to reduce the need for handling.

Oliver says the customer he had in mind was a young professional who liked high-end products.

"The bin design is very futuristic and looks very stylish,'' says 21-year-old Oliver, of The Old Farmhouse, Golden Hill, Pembroke.

Brabantia is considering adopting the design commercially, but the futuristic concept means it could be several years before it hits the market.

The competition was part of the university's Product Design programme and involved 42 final year students.

It looked at all aspects of waste management, from how the kitchen bin has evolved to new technologies, and environmental aspects relating to recycling household rubbish.

As part of his prize, Oliver visited Brabantia's factory and new product development centre in The Netherlands.

Brabantia sales director, David Slater, said product design was important. "We were extremely impressed with the designs the students presented and the depth to which they had researched the kitchen and waste market,'' said Mr Slater.

"They really got to the core of some of the issues, developed an excellent solution to meet real customer needs, and achieved a very high standard of product design.''