In the good old days many home owners had a large metal dustbin that they would place all their rubbish into before placing the large heavy lid on top. However, times move on and very few of us have a metal rubbish bin; instead a wide variety of wheelie bins and recycling bins adorn our streets.

In some areas, rubbish is deposited on the curbside in black bags and the result is that in many areas the bags attract vermin and other pests and rubbish can be leaked over the street; having been ripped open by foxes, cats and other animals.

And it’s not just homeowners and those that use black bags either. Even modern wheelie bins can be knocked over by some pests and for businesses, especially ones that dispose of large quantities of food waste – failing to keep flies, rodents and roaches at bay can lead to closure of the business.

Types of pest

There are all sorts of animals that find human waste appealing. For homeowners the biggest problem can be foxes, cats and dogs. They can knock open bins or rip open bags causing mess and nuisance.

But for takeaway and fast food businesses the problem is exacerbated by the sheer volume of waste they dispose of. Flies, cockroaches, mice and rats can be easily attracted but difficult to get rid of, and even if the problem doesn’t lead to the local authority closing the business – if word gets out a lack of customers might.

A good lid wil help prevent vermin

And new pests are starting to get attracted to the waste in cities too. Gulls, once only seen around the coast; plague nearly every city and town.

Preventing Vermin

Prevention is always better than cure and keeping pests away from your rubbish can be easy o accomplish by following these basic steps.

• To prevent large animals from getting into your bin – ensure you have a sturdy and strong outdoor bin. Make sure it has a heavy lid too.
• If food waste is thrown away and stored outside, it is essential it is kept in a rubbish bin with a tight fitting lid. This will prevent smells and prevent your rubbish appealing to the local wildlife.
• Clean the bin regularly; use bin deodorisers if necessary otherwise you may find the detritus in a dirty bin attracts flies.
• Think of other methods of getting rid of food waste; composting is one idea.

When it comes to disposing of rubbish, there is only one place it can go: the rubbish bin. However, the process of disposing of rubbish can be problematic in certain scenarios. Cooks, medical practitioners and people who work in the food industry are frequent users of waste bins, however, the problem for these people and many others in similar trades is that every time they touch the bin they have to wash their hands.

This frequent hand washing can be really problematic, especially if you are constantly using the bin and having to run to the sink. However, bin lids are important, especially when you are dealing with organic material as those in kitchens or hospitals do. Infection and pests need to be deterred and the smells and risk of infection are also reduced by a good fitting lid.

However, here lies the problem. A lid has to be lifted for items to be disposed of; hence the need to touch the bin and the following requirement to wash your hands in some industries.

There are of course different automatic methods of raising the bin lid:

Swing-top bins are a simple solution but the problem with swing lidded bins is that not only does the lid get very dirty with waste constantly falling on it; to be able to swing the lid needs a sufficient gap which means it is ineffective at keeping in smells.

Pedal bins are another solution but they can be quite cumbersome to use and require a pedal to be sticking out of the bin; and while the lids are often a tighter fit than swing bins, they are still not perfect.

There is however, a modern solution – the intelligent sensor bin.

Sensor Bins don't require any contact

Intelligent bins use a sensor that when approached automatically raises the lid of the bin thanks to an electric motor. The lid also shuts itself once your hands are clear so there is never a need to touch the bin at all.

The lids react at the perfect distance and quite swiftly so there is no waiting around for it to open. These automatic sensor bins have great tight fitting lids and are of a modern practical design that also looks the part and can save you time, especially in a busy kitchen or food production area.

Every year in England alone we throw away some 25.5 million tonnes of rubbish in our waste bins and it increases each and every year as we throw more and more rubbish away, and the population continues to expand.

That’s enough rubbish to fill every Premiership football stadium in the country and with such large quantities of rubbish, litter and trash, it’s a miracle we are not all knee deep in filth.

While most of us aware that our rubbish has to end up somewhere, few people take the time to think where all this waste is going and whether or not we will ever run out of capacity on our burgeoning landfills.

There are really only three methods of dealing with household waste and each comes with its own costs and disadvantages:

Recycling

Perhaps the preferred and most eco friendly method of dealing with waste and rubbish is to recycle it. Recycling is just a term to describe reusing materials, either in their original guise or by breaking them down to their raw materials. Paper, glass, metal and a whole host of materials can be reused and recycled which reduced the amount of waste that is just dumped on landfill. Many households now have recycling bins for separation of these items. However, not everything we throw away can be recycled and it can often be costly.

Much of our recycling is also exported abroad added further environmental costs to our rubbish disposal as well as causing environmental problems in many of the developing countries this rubbish gets shipped to.

Much of what we throw away ends up in landfill

Landfill

Sadly the majority of what we throw away in our rubbish bins ends up in landfills. A landfill is just a dump where items are permanently stored until the landfill is full and then it is covered over. Some items on landfill sites slowly degrade, especially organic waste but a lot of what is dumped on our landfills can last for years and years.

However, landfills are not all bad news. The gases produced by rotting rubbish is now being harvested as a source of energy and many former landfills whilst unsuitable to build houses on are often turned into nature parks or other green environments.

Incineration

In areas where there is insufficient space incineration is still regularly used to get rid of rubbish. Incineration is perhaps the most environmentally damaging method of removing rubbish but in many areas there is little choice. The energy from the incinerators can be harvested though so it is not all bad news when it comes to burning rubbish.

Never has something so innocent and mundane caused as much controversy since its inception than the wheelie bin. Wheelie bins have been around since the 1970’s and since their introduction in British society they are rarely out of the headlines.

There have even been campaigns by British newspapers to get them banned from the streets but are wheelie bins are practical solution for removing and handling waste so why have they been controversial. Partly, the reason lies in the conservative nature of the British householder, also combined with some myths propagated by the national press – wheelie bins have become notorious.

Blamed for rubbish reduction by stealth, accused of being dangerous and with stories of bugs, cameras and even bodies found in wheelie bins its no wonder they have a bad reputation. But here are some genuine facts and dispelled myths about the wheelie bin:

• Practical: wheelie bins are a simple method of removing waste. They are safer to handle than waste bags where protruding items such as glass can snag a rubbish removal man. It’s a common misconception that the elderly or disabled struggle to move wheelie bins but the truth is that if somebody can carry a black bag full of rubbish they can manoeuvre a wheelie bin.
• Wheelie bins can reduce waste. It is true that many councils do prefer wheelie bins to encourage a decline in the amount we throw away. But if we are allowed to dispose of whatever we like our council tax and rates will rise as a result – all councils are struggling to find landfill space to meet the nation’s needs.
• Wheelie bins are also claimed to be unsightly but a wheelie bin is no more unsightly than a conventional bin or pile of black sacks. Waste has to be stored in something and most wheelie bins are in a neutral colour and are unassuming.

And while wheelie bins are not the complete answer to the problems of limited landfill and an increasing population alongside recycling bins, litter bins and other rubbish bins, they play a crucial role in part of the nation’s rubbish and waste management.

They say that in the city, you are never more than ten yards from a rat, whether this is true or not, one thing is clear, if you live in an urban area rubbish bags and unsecured bins are a real menace when it comes to attracting vermin.

The increase in littering around the cities is a worsening problem; paths strewn with litter and household waste are becoming commonplace – not because there has been a huge increase in vermin – but because quite often people’s external bins and dustbins are not up to the job.

And with more and more local authorities employing littering officers you could find yourself liable to a fine if you allow you allow vermin to litter your rubbish across the pavement.

Some of us have a dustbin, wheelie bin or other waste bin supplied to us by the local authorities, and while in some areas these are of good quality, other local authorities try to save money by supplying poor quality external bins or none at all.

If no bin is provided the weekly ritual of bin bags being ripped open by cats, foxes and rats continues and the streets, even in some affluent areas, can become filthy. Decent outside containers and waste collectors are often neglected by local businesses too and with the amount of waste that some takeaway and fast food places throw away, they exaggerate the problem many time.

But there is no need to rely on the local authority to supply a good quality external bin or good quality outdoor container – as they are not expensive and are readily available in a multitude of styles, shapes and colours.

Choose the style of bin that will suit your requirements, perhaps you need a large hooded waste container or just a traditional dustbin-like outdoor container would suffice. Whatever style you go for, whether its fa ree-standing bin or hooded waste container make sure its large enough for you requirements.

An overfull bin will be as useful as no bin at all when it comes to keeping vermin away so size is importance as is quality. Whatever style you opt for make sure it has a good quality lid and is stable so vermin won’t be able to tip them over.

How our homes look says a lot about our characters and personality which is why each year in the UK alone £ billions are spent by people renovating, redecorating and replacing furniture around the home. Nearly every aspect of somebody’s home can be altered to match other aspects of the home but surprisingly very few people put any thought into choosing a rubbish bin,  despite having to have them in nearly every room.

The waste bin is not only an essential piece of equipment it also nearly always visible and quite often the rubbish bin can be an unsightly blot in the corner of the room. But it doesn’t need to be that way.

There are some great places on the internet to buy quality rubbish bins that are not only functional and practical but there are such a huge range of rubbish bins available nearly every décor or theme of home can find the perfect waste bin for every room.

There are metallic designer bins that suit most modern them living room while retro bins suit those homes and kitchens that borrow trends fro yesteryear. Of course, in this day and age recycling our waste is not only ethically responsible its now enforceable by any local authorities. But recycling bins come in large range too from multi section recycling bins for the kitchen to large exterior bins for garden waste.

With kitchen bins many people place them in cupboards as they don;t want them on show or have any unsightly smells from lingering. But with some of the more modern and designer kitchen bins around at the movement there really is no need not only do they look fantastic but also there are numerous automatic and sensor activate lids that not only prevent smells but prevent the need to even touch the bin.

So next time you are re-papering the living room or refitting the kitchen give a little thought to the rubbish bin that is sat in the corner, perhaps its time for a new one.

We probably have one in each room of the house and yet very rarely give them a seconds thought but the humble waste bin is an important part of keeping our homes clean and tidy and without them we may find ourselves knee deep in rubbish before we know it.

Yet the different types of rubbish bin used around the home are quite numerous as each bin has to work in a different environment. Waste bins are far more than just receptacles for rubbish a lot more thought goes into them than that.

Take the external waste bin, often called the dustbin or garbage can. These bins have to be large enough to hold an entire household’s waste for a week or in some locales – two weeks.

External bins therefore have to obtain certain criteria to function. If waste is to sit in them all week then they need to have a good string lid that will not only keep the smells in the bin but prevent vermin from entering the bin and making a mess. External bins need also to be functional which is why the growing trend is for wheelie bins. Wheelie bins make it a lot easier for refuse collectors to transport the bin from the front of our homes to the rubbish collection vehicle (bin lorry).

Many of us are now recycle much of our rubbish which probably means not only do we have an external bin for our household waste but also we have recycling bins for different types of recyclable rubbish. Gardening bins for instance are the same as normal wheelie bins or external bins but more -often-than-not they are painted green to help distinguish them. Other recycling bins are used externally too and often they are colour coded too.

And indoors we have recycling bins also. Many kitchen bins are now accompanied with multi-section colour coded recycling bins. Like regular Kitchen bins they have to have a good lid too to prevent smells from leaking out and making the kitchen stink.

But kitchen bins, recycling bins and wheelie bins are only part of the story. Other bins around the home have to have different functionality too. The living room bin for instance often need to be more stylish than regular bins (as we do have to look at them every day) and designer bins are now common. Sanitary bins are often used in bathrooms as they are more hygienic to hold waste that often contains body waste, while the humble waste paper bin is perhaps the simplest of all but then it doesn’t need to protect us from smells or unhygienic waste.

Most of us have one and probably have done for most of our lives but very few of us give the humble dustbin much thought. But in fact the dustbin has gone through dramatic changes which have coincided with changes that our society has been through over the last hundred years of so.

Whether you call it a dustbins, rubbish bin, garbage can or wheelie bin, the changes to our main refuse collection bin have been dramatic and represent the changing way we live ourlives.

Dustbins have only been around since the last 150 years or so. Before that time there was little need for dustbins or waste bins as most waste people discarded were ash (from fires), wood, bones, body waste and vegetable matter which more-often-than-not was just burned in the fireplace.

However, when the industrial revolution happened and more and consumable items were being purchased and a an increase in plastics an other materials were being used. The need to keep our towns and cities clean became apparent.

The 1848 Public Health Act as the first time that a government decided that each household should have access to a rubbish receptacle which was emptied by state funded binmen. Dustbins were introduced by many councils. These rubbish bins were large metal containers and didn’t change on shape or design for decades.

In fact it wasn’t until the latter part of the twentieth century when concerns about land-fill space and the need to recycle some of our waste become apparent did the style and shape of dustbins change.

Along with the introduction of bottle banks, large plastic dustbins were introduced in many parts of the country as a cheaper method of producing bins compare to the heavy metal trash can. However, the need for recycling increased and goner too are these old style bins and most people in England and Wales were given wheelie bins. Wheelie bins not only make the job of collecting rubbish easier, different coloured bins have been introduced to encourage recycling. Many areas of the country now have two or tree wheelie bins. One is a conventional household rubbish bin the others are recycling bins for garden waste or recyclable materials.

Tags: bins, dustbin, household waste, waste bin, wheelie bin

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