Waste collection policy
Storage of bins
Householders are expected to store bins on property under their control. Where on the property residents store their bins e.g frontage or rear garden, is down to their own discretion though they should be stored in a manner not to cause nuisance to neighbouring properties through issues such as odour. The only exception to where bins should be stored will be in the case where a person has an assisted collection where a location will be agreed by the householder and the Council to enable easy access for emptying.
Bins should only be placed out for collection during the designated times. Bins should not be stored on the public adopted highway without prior consent.
The Council has no control over private land or unadopted access routes. Bins causing an obstruction or nuisance stored on such land would be a civil matter between the concerned person and the householder whose bin it is.
For new build properties and property conversions the Borough Council would expect that adequate space is given for the storage of both residual and recycling bins within the properties curtilage and meet current building regulations. Guidance for developers has been produced as a separate document, which provides information on relevant bin sizing and access needs to enable storage and collection of containers.
Where a resident has issues storing bins, they should contact the Borough Council and an officer will visit to evaluate options. If the officer feels there is appropriate room to store bins within the properties boundary, then there will be an expectation from the Council that this is adhered to. This may also include the householder carrying out reasonable works to their property to enable storage of the bins such as tidying a garden or addressing an overgrown area. The Council would not expect any construction works to take place to enable storage. The Council does not feel it is unreasonable that residents may have store bins at one elevation of the property and present them for collection at another e.g store a bin in the back yard but present at the frontage. It will not be down to the Council to maintain private or unadopted passages or service alleys to maintain access to properties for the presentation of stored bins.
The Council will not take into account street scene aesthetics when deeming whether a household has sufficient capacity to store bins.
Where an Officer identifies a household does have sufficient room, or would have once remedial works deemed reasonable were carried out, and the household does not store the bins within their curtilage then the Council does reserve the right, with warning, to suspend collection service to the property and remove the householders bins.
In instances where an Officer feels there is not adequate storage at the property then the Council will look to work with the householder to find an alternative location to place the bins which does not cause obstruction or nuisance to other residents. In some cases, it may be necessary to offer a different form of collection such as a bag collection.
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