There has been quite a bit of bad press about the littering caused by students in some university towns. And in many areas where residents live in local proximity to local schools, college or universities, littering is a cause for tension between the local community and the educational establishment.

The problem with litter around education buildings is the sheer number of people that use these areas. But neither the students or the schools or colleges are to blame. Often the cause of the littering and the discontent amongst the local community is as a result of bad planning with the areas litter bins and bins for the public.

Student Lifestyle

Students also have an active lifestyle and consume more packaging and fast food products than regular consumers which often leads to a greater amount of litter in areas with a high student population.

This is often overlooked by local authorities who find that the number, type and frequency of emptying of their litter bins is often underestimated causing overflowing bins and strewn litter.

Bin collections too are often too infrequent in these locations and it is often forgotten that in student areas there are many adults living under the same roof so the amount of household litter will also be higher than in residential areas.

Increasing the frequency of collections in these areas will reduce the litter in the residential parts of town.

Public Bins

Around the high street the public bins may need replacing or increasing in number. If there is littering then it is likely there is one of three problems:

• There are not enough public outdoor bins
• The outdoor bins are not large enough
• The public bins are in the wrong location

If the local bins are often full then the problem is going to be size or number. However, it is quite common for the high street litter bins to be half empty but there is still a high level of litter. This may often be because the litter bins are in the wrong location. Ensure fast food outlets and main thoroughfares are covered with large capacity outdoor bins.

Public litter bins

Increasing the number of bins around an area will also reduce the amount of litter but this there is often an added cost to doing this as there will be more bins to empty. By replacing the public litter bins with larger ones this will prevent additional costs from occurring.

Supplying the right type of bins is crucial for any educational establishment if they are to keep the school or college grounds clear.

School Bins

Littering is not a problem of the youth, or any other social group, it tends to occur because there is inadequate or shortage of bins. When hundreds of people are gathered anywhere, they will produce litter, so ensuring there is somewhere for them to put it is vital if you want to prevent people from discarding litter.

Not only are the number of bins and choosing the right location important, but putting some thought into what is going to be thrown into the bin will help ensure you get the right type and size of bin and in schools and colleges that often means thinking about the type of rubbish your students will be throwing away.

Typically, in most schools and colleges; crisp packets, cans of pop and other snack items make up most of the rubbish so sufficient litter bins in size and number is one way to ensure the students are not littering. But there are other things to think about to:

Free Standing Sack Holder Bin

Selecting the right location for the bins will help ensure the bins are used and not ignored. The canteen and any entrances in and out of the building should always have plenty of bins. Free standing sack holders are the easier solution for this as they are quick to empty and replace the sacks.

But there are other needs for student bins, that have to be thought about. For colleges, despite the policy of the school, smoking will certainly be going on somewhere, often outside entrances, so to prevent a build up of cigarette butts in doorways, its better to place a cigarette bin, or wall mounted ashtray.

Exterior Bin

Sanitary bins also need to be provided in female bathrooms, as they will also be needed in staff facilities and bins for paper towels will need to be in all bathroom areas.

Classroom bins tend to fill with just waste paper so regular waste baskets are good for here but in the corridors there will be more of a variety of items so having a few wall mounted bins along corridors is a good idea too.

We probably walk past dozens each day and not give them a second thought but the public waste bin is a crucial part of ensuring we are not wading down the high street knee-deep in discarded rubbish.

But unlike internal waste bins for our homes and offices, the public litter bin has to cope with higher demands and risks that are not a consideration external bins.

Public bins have to have a larger capacity than those we use in our homes. While we may have half-a-dozen people at home throwing rubbish and litter in it, a public waste bin will have hundreds and perhaps thousands.

They also have to be sturdy. Even the common-or-garden plastic dustbin or trash can would not last too long in a public environment. Many of the public waste receptacles are manufactured from tough polymers that are not only resistant to the rigours of the weather but can they are often fire proof, an important consideration with something that may sit on a high street amongst the general public

Sadly, bins in outdoor locations have to be resistant to vandals and thieves too. For this reason many are wall mounted of bolted to the floor. Some public bins even have a locking mechanism to prevent people from emptying the contents on the floor.

They also have to come in numerous designs for the types of locations they may be placed in and the types of waste they are likely to encounter. Hospital bins, wall mounted ashtrays, bins for schools, high streets, and parks all require different designs.

Outdoor bins need also to be plentiful. If there are not enough of them then littering will soon become a problem. Many people will use bins if they are there, but if not, they may be inclined to dispose of there rubbish on the pavement.

And the right location is just as important. Along busy while they may be unsightly, they still need to be placed along thoroughfares and be clearly visible. A litter bin tucked around the corner or hidden behind a building will be useless. They need to clearly visible and accessible otherwise they just won’t get used.

One of the biggest problems with running a school, college, university or other educational establishment is keeping the grounds tidy and litter-free. Schools and colleges can very quickly become untidy, partly because they house hundreds of young people with appetites for crisps and snacks.

Most of this rubbish is responsibly discarded in the school litter bin, however, in some schools and colleges. Headmasters and principles find certain areas become littered very quickly.

Often the playground or school yard and playing fields are quite susceptible to litter, with crisp bags and sweet wrappers quite often blowing across these areas. While there is much a headmaster and principle can do to ensure that pupils and students always use the school litter bins when necessary, solving the problem often takes more than threats of detention.

By and large, people – even students – would like to throw their rubbish away sensibly but it is often the size and logistic location of the school litter bins that causes the problem.

One of the major causes of littering in schools and indeed other places outside of educational establishments, is simply down to the lack of  litter bins. People will walk a good few yards to dispose of their litter, however, if that journey turns to a ten minute or an amble up stairs and around a corridor, the temptation to throw the litter on the floor can often be too strong.

Also litter bins that fill too quickly are also a cause for littering as people will continue to use a bin, even though it is overflowing and a full bin becomes nothing more than a pile of litter. It can also help to ensure you have the right school litter bin for the area. A small bin next to the vending machines will quickly fill while a litter bin placed in a quiet corridor can go unused for days.

Ensuring that there are enough bins in enough locations and they are the correct size will go a long way to ensuring that pupils and students are not littering but are using the school litter bins provided.

By assessing the number of school litter bins and their location and size can quite often reduce the amount of litter suffered by the school or college and will help to make the environment a better place to work and learn for all.

Tags: litter bin, rubbish bin, school bin, school litter bin, waste bin