Wheelie bins have divided communities, but are they best for waste collection?
Over recent months wheelie bins have been the topic of controversy as more local councils introduce them to replace the traditional black bag waste collection.
82% of the country already has a wheelie bin for their waste collection, but this does not mean that everyone is in agreement that wheelie bins are the best way to collect and store our rubbish! Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, who is responsible for waste management, as part of his position as the Environment and Transport Cabinet Member for Ealing Council, London, has been reported as referring to wheelie bins as a ‘Marmite topic’ – the public either love them or hate them!
Those in support of the wheelie bin argue that they:
- create a cleaner environment, preventing waste spillages on our streets
- reduce the number of vermin
- encourage recycling within the home
- have led to business entrepreneurship, introducing more wheelie bins onto the market, cleaning products and even wooden huts which store wheelie bins
However, those against wheelie bins suggest that they:
- can be used for arson attacks
- obstruct public pavements
- are unsightly, and not practical if you have no front garden or area to keep them
- and have become ‘spy’ bins for some local councils such who have monitored how much rubbish was being disposed by residents
Whether you consider them unsightly or not, it seems wheelie bins have proved to be very practical for waste collection. Wheelie bins and recycling wheelie bins have encouraged waste separation and more homes to recycle waste which would normally have gone to landfill. Although a little large for some house frontages, wheelie bins have certainly conquered the common problems of rubbish bags splitting and animals trying to get to our waste, which causes a unsightly mess by our homes.