Tenants Leaving Rubbish Bins On Pavement
We worried that PCC's threatened removal of waste bins if they were consistently left on the pavement would impact landlords and leave them bin-less even where the landlord had paid for a larger bin and the problem was tenant caused and beyond the landlords control.
We need not have worried as you can see from PCC's response below.
PCC's Response
"In general bins are not allowed to be stored on the highway and should be taken in after the collection at the earliest opportunity. There may be exceptions to this - for example if a resident requires an assisted collection.
For properties where storage of bins at the front of the property is not possible eg flat fronted or properties with very small forecourts it has always been a condition of issue that the bin is not stored on the highway between collections.
For recycling - there are smaller stackable containers available and the team will work with residents to swap these out. For refuse, there has always remained the option to place out up to 3 standard bin bags which is about the same as the capacity of a 140l refuse bin. Stickers can also be supplied by waste management where it is agreed a larger capacity is required.
Following the updates to the waste collection policy last summer, we did carry out promotion of this part of the policy (the removal of offending bins left on the pavement) on social media and also carried out an extensive door knocking exercise and leaflet drop to properties in roads where this is an issue ahead of starting up removals of bins again. Please be assured that bins are not removed without notice - our process involves issuing a warning letter which clearly sets out what residents need to do with their bins following collections being completed and the consequences of removal of their bin if they do not comply.
To date, we have removed around 130 bins and generally have found that waste related issues in those roads where we have carried this out have reduced.
The team is working with residents to swap bins out and support them to manage their waste. Residents and Landlords can also contact the waste management team for advice and support if they have concerns about their bins and we can visit to understand what containers are most suitable.
We can issue notices for bins on pavements and may still need to do this for recycling bins if residents do not want to swap out bins for our stackable option.
If you would like to discuss waste management arrangements at your property, please contact the team on 023 9284 1105"
What You Should Do
As a landlord you cannot tell your tenant how to live, when or how to empty their bins but it is fair and sensible as part of the move in (and within the contract) to state clearly the expectation that the tenant needs to comply with local rules and regulations and, where bins are concerned, they should not be left on the pavement except on collection days.
Obviously if this advice is ignored, and PCC have to talk to the tenant but without success, so at the end of the process, they remove the bins - you may not know or realise until the tenants vacate. We would suggest that the likelihood of this outcome is slight and you would probably be aware of other issues before this point is reached - but if it is, we feel sure that PCC would restore the bins once they learn that the tenants have left and the property is back in the realms of normal inhabitants.
We will ask the team at PCC to join us at one of our meetings this year in case anyone has any other issues.