Each year, every household in the UK gets rid of about one tonne of rubbish. From kitchen scraps and waste containers to old newspapers and tin cans, a myriad of items are thrown away by each-and-every-one of us.

Coping with all this rubbish is down to the humble dustbin, wheelie bin or household bin. But things have been complicated in recent years with the need to recycle, fortnightly bin collections and restrictions to the amount of waste some households in the country are permitted to throw away.

All this has made getting rid of household rubbish a complicated task. Having to use different bins for recycling, trying to avoid pests and smells, and keeping on top of the household waste can be a chore. But here are some tips to make dealing with your rubbish problems a whole load easier:

Kitchen

Perhaps the busiest bin in the house. Nearly everything gets chucked into the kitchen bin from food scraps to old cartons, tins and wrappers. One of the biggest problems with kitchen bins is the mess and smell they can produce. But there are simple ways to reduce this. Firstly, a good tight fitting lid is a must for any kitchen bin. This will prevent smells but the lid does pose other problems.

As we frequently cook in the kitchen, touching the bin is unhygienic – so rather than frequent hand-washing you should consider a pedal bin, swing-top or even a sensor bin. Sensor bins are fantastic as they open and shut automatically, sensing when you are near and raising the lid just in time.

Sensor Bin - opens automatically

Recycling bins

To make that task of separating different items into different bins consider buying recycling bins.

Many of these are colour coded so you can separate waste before you have to put it into the different recycling receptacles outside. And if you haven’t room for several different bins – think about a double triple compartment recycling bin which are a convenient and space saving way of separating waste.

Bin deodorisers

All kitchen bins should be cleaned regular to prevent smells but a great way of ensuring your kitchen doesn’t stink of rubbish is to use a bin deodoriser. Bin deodorizers ensure your bin smells fresh and clean – no matter what you have been throwing away.

One of the biggest nuisances about bins is the smells hat can often be produced. Most of us will have come home one evening only to be greeted by the stench of rotting fish, meat of vegetation emanating from the kitchen bin.

But bin smells can be prevented and often there is usually a root cause why your kitchen or external bin is attracting flies and creating a stench:

The Right Bin

Often the problem causing bins smells s that the wrong bin is being used for the job. When sourcing a bin it is important you think about the type of waste that is being disposed of. Kitchen waste and other organic material is often what causes bin smells so you need to choose an appropriate kitchen bin that has been designed to hold this sort of waste.

External bins too are often a cause of smells and quite often it is because large amounts of kitchen and food waste are thrown away into the wrong type of external bin. If you have catering business you need to ensure the external bin you choose is manufactured to eb able to deal with large amounts of food waste.

The Bin Lid

One of the biggest causes of bin smells is a badly fitting lid. The bin lid is incredibly important for external bins and kitchen bins, or any other type of bin that has to hold rotting waste. The lid needs to fit well and remember, for external bins they need to be able to prevent vermin and pests from entering too.

Bin Lids are key to reducing smells

Over full bin

Another cause of smells is that the bin should have been emptied. A bin that is too full may prevent the lid from closing which will cause smells but also there may just be too much stuff in there for it to contain the gases escaping from them.

For external bins you also need to make sure the bin can’t be knocked over easiliy as a spilled bin will cause smells and mess.

Bin Deodorisers

Bin deodorisers are a good short term fix and useful if you are dealing with some really strong smelling waste. These can mask a lot of smells and prevent the bin from becoming tainted by the smells of the waste it normally holds.

The kitchen bin is one of the most used items in our home. Everything gets thrown into them, from food waste to old newspapers, and failing to get the correct bin can cause problems.

Ensuring you get the correct kitchen bin can be important but often people buy the wrong types of bins for the kitchen and getting it wrong can cause all sorts of problems.

The wrong type of kitchen bin:

* Can lead to bad smells around the home

* Can attract vermin and pests

* Can look bad

* Can be messy

* Can be unhygienic

In buying a kitchen bin there are several important aspects to think about which will ensure you don;t suffer any of the problems above.

Size

A kitchen bin needs to be large enough to cope with the amount of waste it will receive. Think about how many people will be using it; how often you can empty it and where it can fit in the kitchen. It’s important to remember that height will make a difference when it comes to disposing of things. Too low and you may find the bin gets covered in waste.

A swingtop bin will also prevent you from having to handle the bin

Lid

Perhaps the single most important aspect of any kitchen bin is the lid. A goo tight fitting lid is important to prevent smells from not only stinking the house out but also attracting the local wildlife. But a lid also has to be practical and easy to raise. Remember you may have to scoop food waste into the bin so a pedal bin, swing or even sensor activated bin lid will prevent food waste from dirtying the bin, it is also be more hygienic as you do not have to touch the bin to place waste in it.

Easy to clean and Empty

A bin has to be practical so avoid anything that is made form material that is difficult to clean or isn’t rugged enough. A good kitchen bin can be attractive but remember functionality is the key, it should also be easy to empty and shouldn’t be vulnerable to tipping.

There has been a lot of political debate in the UK and other areas of Europe and North America about the future of home refuse collection. Driven by environmental policy and the need to reduce the ever increasing costs of disposing of household waste, many new laws and regulations are being introduced to promote recycling and reduce the amount of waste that ends in landfills.

As a consequence of all the political wrangling, the traditional dustbin is to become a thing of the past with multiple receptacles for different recycling with some home owners expected to need up to five different rubbish bins for different materials.

As a result, it is expected there will be an increase in the demand for rubbish receptacles – but selecting the right bins for councils and locaal authorities can be a difficult task, especially if there is an investment  on new receptacles. Making sure the right bin is fit for the right purpose, is vital as getting it wrong could be financially disastrous if the wrong bins are provided.

But the requirements for what bin is required can often have more to do with the location than the rules. There is little point in supplying an apartment block with wheelie bins for garden waste if there is no garden, and often if space is an issue where a different solution such as shared bins may have to be thought of.

Wheelie bins are commonly used by many local authorities for residential waste as they are often seen as a solution for all waste needs and they have many advantages over other types of exterior bins. They are tall, which prevents vermin and pests from entering the bin, and are secured with a decent fitting lid.

But the main advantage of the wheelie bin is how easy they are to move around by both the resident and the collection team. They are can also be manufactured in multiple colours which is crucial if multiple bins are provided for different materials for recycling.

However, the procedure to wheel out several bins for collection every week or fortnight may be unpopular with local residents. It may also be impractical for apartment blocks or for streets where there is little room on the pavement – and the bins themselves could even become a hazard.

Is dustbin about to make a comeback

The traditional method of refuse collectors entering a property to collect the dustbin may seem an outdated practice but some local authorities are turning back to this method for less frequent collections, such as garden waste. Often, in these sorts of situations, a lidded outdoor bin is often a better solution as they are easier to carry and less cumbersome.

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.

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

Tags: household waste, hygiene, public bin, recycling tips, wate management

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