垃圾桶放门前

Why are rubbish bins in the UK placed at the front door? Why not on the roof?

 

Trash bins in the UK, unlike in the past in our country, have some differences. They have several categories and are more finely divided, primarily to protect the environment. In our country, there is currently a strong trend of waste sorting, and many waste sorting systems have emerged. Each region has different standards for waste sorting. There have even been trendy items such as slanted shoulder bags and mineral water bottle earrings specifically designed for waste sorting. It's really trendy! See the image below for reference.

：

So why are rubbish bins in the UK placed at the front door? Why not at the back door, the side, or even on the roof?

In short, there are two reasons:

1. Convenient centralized collection on the road:
        Placing the rubbish bins at the front door allows for easy and efficient      collection by waste management services. It provides a centralized      location for waste collection trucks to access and collect the garbage      from multiple households or buildings in a systematic manner.

2. Lack of available space for bins elsewhere:
        Another reason is the limited availability of space for placing bins in      alternative locations. In many residential areas or buildings, there may      be constraints in terms of limited outdoor space or regulations that      restrict the placement of bins in certain areas. Placing the bins at the      front door is often a practical solution considering the constraints of      available space.

These factors contribute to the common practice of placing rubbish bins at the front door in the UK.

 

According to a report by the BBC, Elizabeth Shove, a professor of sociology at Lancaster University in the UK, provided insights on the placement of rubbish bins. The reason why bins are located at the front door is related to the institutionalization of waste collection, which explains why they are kept outside instead of being placed indoors.

 

In 1848, the Public Health Act was introduced in the UK, which marked the first implementation of urban waste classification and collection. At that time, people burned their rubbish and collected the ashes in ash pits located in their backyard walls. However, by the early 20th century, ash pits were no longer suitable for handling household waste. They were fixed to the walls in the backyard, making the collection arrangements inflexible and their capacity limited, not suitable for handling larger volumes of waste.

 

In the 1950s, metal bins were replaced by large plastic bins in the 1960s. These bins were placed in front of houses for garbage collection along the roads.

 

In a report on "the withering of the bin," the National House Building Council in the United States pointed out that in densely populated areas, there may be a lack of external space at the back or sides of houses to accommodate bins. This leaves residents with no choice but to place the bins outside the front door.

 

These historical developments and the constraints of available space have contributed to the practice of placing rubbish bins at the front door in the UK.