94 bin chutes were recently decommissioned by Hackney Council in an ongoing initiative designed to encourage responsible recycling and eradicate their expensive cleaning bill. In 2016 Hackney Council spent £75,000 on outside contractors unblocking 225 chutes. They are far from being the only Council with rubbish problems.

metroSTOR’s Terry Bedford, reflects on the challenges bin chutes present landlords and their tenants and looks at a better, cost-effective alternative.

Controversial subject

Unsurprisingly, the efficient disposal of rubbish continues to be a hugely controversial subject. One particular consequence of modern waste management, is the growing onus on households to be accountable for the waste they generate. ‘Bin night’ has become an increasingly regimented affair and failure to follow the rules can result in the unpleasant forfeit of uncollected rubbish festering in front of a home.

Tolerate decaying waste

While unsightly rubbish may emanate from a single household in the private sector, social housing tenants in high-rise builds face challenges from a shared solution. I regularly hear about the strange items residents have attempted to force down chutes. This has included everything from rubble, broken furniture, gym equipment and apparently even a cow’s head! Time and again, I meet residents who must tolerate decaying waste in blocked bin chutes; penalised by the actions of those less considerate.

Changing trends

While it is easy to blame a combination of unimaginative or indifferent residents for all bin chute blockages, I think changing trends in consumer spending and retailer packaging is a root cause of the problem. Nowadays food is pre-packaged, and more households are ordering online – most of which is delivered in bulky cardboard packaging. Many leading clothes brands are deliberately priced to be disposable instead of repairable.

For social landlords across the UK, the convenient 1950's solution of building rubbish tunnels into walls suited an age when households produced far less, lighter waste. These antiquated facilities are not designed to cope with the volume and variety of waste generated by modern households. I also believe that many residents are frustrated by an outmoded disposal system that isn’t environmentally responsible.

Immediate benefits

At metroSTOR we design, produce and install a range of bin enclosures that offer secure, future-proof waste storage solutions that better serve the needs of a modern community.

Decommissioning chutes: metroSTOR effective alternatives

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