Lettings agency failing to provide enough recycling bins, threatening to charge extra for rubbish

theoretica

ThunderHoof said:

theoretica said:

There are two standards for 'enough' bins - one is there always being space to throw rubbish but this is not what developers or the council work to, though it is what residents care about.  The other standard that the agency will be referring to will be a number of litres per flat per week - same as councils limit the size and number of wheely bins a single household will have. 

Very often with communal bins the problem with overflowing is simply down to space use and people throwing things like boxes, tins or plastic bottles and loosely crumpled wrappers in the bin without crushing them.  A simple thing to improve, if you can get your neighbours on board.

There's only 6 cardboard and 6 glass wheelie bins for a block of 24 apartments with over 50 occupants, is this standard?

Depends on the size of the bins and how often they are emptied.  See eg p5 of this for an example of expectation - other councils have similar. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/27043/waste-and-recycling-instructions-for-architect-and-developers

davidmcn

ThunderHoof said:

theoretica said:

There are two standards for 'enough' bins - one is there always being space to throw rubbish but this is not what developers or the council work to, though it is what residents care about.  The other standard that the agency will be referring to will be a number of litres per flat per week - same as councils limit the size and number of wheely bins a single household will have. 

Very often with communal bins the problem with overflowing is simply down to space use and people throwing things like boxes, tins or plastic bottles and loosely crumpled wrappers in the bin without crushing them.  A simple thing to improve, if you can get your neighbours on board.

There's only 6 cardboard and 6 glass wheelie bins for a block of 24 apartments with over 50 occupants, is this standard?

Doesn't sound unreasonable, if they're only for cardboard and glass (and that's all the residents are trying to put in them).

Slithery

ThunderHoof said:
There's only 6 cardboard and 6 glass wheelie bins for a block of 24 apartments with over 50 occupants, is this standard?

How often are they emptied?
If you assume that 1 wheely bin equals 4 regular plastic bin-lorry bins then that's 1 bin per flat, per collection. If they're picked up every 4 weeks then that's a bit more than me (I get one recycling bin for cardboard, glass and tins every fortnight and that's plenty) and your problem isn't not enough bins, it's residents not using them properly or non-residents dumping stuff in them.

ThunderHoof

anselld said:

Please remove personal details.  They are not relevant anyway.

It's public domain, companies house, so name and shame. Besides wouldn't let me edit.

ThunderHoof

Slithery said:

ThunderHoof said:
There's only 6 cardboard and 6 glass wheelie bins for a block of 24 apartments with over 50 occupants, is this standard?

How often are they emptied?
If you assume that 1 wheely bin equals 4 regular plastic bin-lorry bins then that's 1 bin per flat, per collection. If they're picked up every 4 weeks then that's a bit more than me (I get one recycling bin for cardboard, glass and tins every fortnight and that's plenty) and your problem isn't not enough bins, it's residents not using them properly or non-residents dumping stuff in them.

According to the council website it's 3 weeks, but that's a very conservative estimate of how many people live there, it's a complex of 1/2/3 beds so could be over 70 people.

If I were landlord, common decency and humanity would dictate that I provide enough bins to take ALL the rubbish that said residents would reasonably produce.

The area isn't secured as anyone can walk into the bin area as it's unlocked due to a broken lock, so could be a problem of other people using the bins. But I have reported this to lettings agency with no response.

Norman_Castle

Are the bins provided by and emptied by the council?

ThunderHoof

Norman_Castle said:

Are the bins provided by and emptied by the council?

Yes as far as I know.

Looks like I'll have to check out the capacity of the bins and see if they actually meet council regulations.

Norman_Castle

ThunderHoof said:

Norman_Castle said:

Are the bins provided by and emptied by the council?

Yes as far as I know.

Looks like I'll have to check out the capacity of the bins and see if they actually meet council regulations.

As previously stated, some councils provide extra recycling bins where needed.