We all want the places where we live to feel clean, safe and welcoming. One simple way we can help make that happen is by disposing of our rubbish and unwanted household items correctly. 

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in items being dumped in and around communal bin stores. This can include furniture, mattresses, electrical items, or boxes and bags of rubbish left beside bins rather than disposed of properly. 

As well as making shared spaces less pleasant for everyone, this can create extra fire risks, blocked access to bins, unpleasant smells and pest problems.  

Getting rid of larger items 

If you have an old sofa, mattress, electrical appliance or another bulky item that won’t fit into your normal household waste, please don’t leave it in or beside a communal bin store. 

Instead, check your local council’s website for bulky waste collections and recycling options. Different councils offer different services, so it’s worth checking what’s available in your area. 

If you’re paying someone else to take your waste away, make sure they’re authorised to do so. As a householder, you have a duty of care to make sure your waste is passed to an authorised waste carrier.  

If you’re leaving an item out for collection, please only put it out on the agreed collection date, leave it where it won’t cause an obstruction or hazard and put a note on it advising it’s due to be collected, and the collection date. Neighbours and anyone working in the area will then know it’s due to be removed and not just dumped.  

The wider impact of dumped waste 

Removing dumped items isn’t as simple as putting them into the next bin collection. Extra collections cost money. This is why we always try to identify who is responsible for the rubbish so we can charge them for clearing it. Sometimes that’s not possible and in these cases the cost may be recharged to all homes that use a specific bin store. 

Spotted dumped waste? 

You can help us manage your area by reporting dumped items when you see them. If you have useful information about where the waste came from, please include this when you contact us – it may help us identify the person responsible. 

Find out how to contact us here.