Post 85 – 13/04/25 – Problem No. 5 – Overflowing Refuse Bins (10 Minute Read)
+ Introduction
This post looks at the problem of overflowing bins can be seen in many parts of Egham & Englefield Green where there are high densities of student HMOs.
The problem will be identified and a proposed solution presented.
You are then invited to discuss the problem and the proposed solution in the Forum, Whatsapp group.
+ Definition & Identification
🚮 HMOs typically produce more refuse than traditional households as they have more adult occupants living in them. (HMOs are typically configured to maximise occupancy. EG Living spaces are often converted into bedrooms.)
🚮 Often tenants find that they don’t have enough bin space for the amount of refuse they are producing.
🚮 Some tenants then resort to leaving bin bags by the side of their overflowing bin anticipating that it will be collected.
🚮 However, Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) will not empty bins where the bin lid is not able to be shut nor will they collect bin bags left by the side of the bin.
🚮 It should also be noted that RBC will not collect contaminated recycling bins. (Please note though that this is a different problem to overflowing refuse bins.).
🚮 Once establishing that overflowing bins will not be collected, some tenants resort to storing their additional waste in their garden or front yard.
🚮 In both scenarios, these bins are unsightly and can attract rats and other vermin.
🚮 In some cases, foxes break open bags causing the refuse to spill onto the street. (Broken bin bags require clearing up swiftly which often does not occur. Loose rubbish can be quickly dispersed onto other neighbouring properties, up and down the street and around the community.)
🚮 Uncollected overflowing bins/ bin bags left in the street are not only an eyesore but can cause problems for pedestrians; especially the partially sighted, wheelchair and pushchair users.
🚮 The problem of overflowing bins is particularly bad at the end of each term and at the end of the academic year where end of tenancy ‘clear outs’ occur. In addition to additional waste, bulky items including unwanted furniture/ beds/ mattresses etc can be found left beside wheelie bins with an expectation that they will be collected.
🚮 RBC spends time educating students on how to use their waste bins. They undertake pre-emptive visits at the start of the academic year to areas where there are high densities of student HMOs.
🚮 Council Officers from Environmental Health & the Depot work collaboratively to respond to complaints received from residents and boast that they will swiftly challenge new occupiers who are not presenting their waste correctly.
+ Solution
🗑 RBC To Enforce The Statutory Requirements On HMO Managers.
Managing waste & bins is already a statutory requirement for HMO Managers. Here it is the case that RBC needs to enforce this requirement. See below.
– The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 (‘Management Regulations’) require HMO Managers of both licensed and unlicensed HMOs to:
(a) ensure that sufficient bins or other suitable receptacles are provided that are adequate for the requirements of each household occupying the HMO for the storage of refuse and litter pending their disposal;
and
(b) make such further arrangements for the disposal of refuse and litter from the HMO as may be necessary, having regard to any service for such disposal provided by the local authority.
The Housing legislation gives the Council Officers powers and the option of sanctions to address waste receptacle provision.
+ Rationale
By targeting the HMO Manager (and not the student) it is hoped that the never ending cycle will be broken. Putting the onus on the HMO Manager to adhere to their statutory requirements will lead to an increased likelihood of a permanent resolution.
+ Conclusion
Royal Holloway’s approach to managing this particular problem has been to palm it off to RBC. (It will sometimes chastise its students directly though or ask the HMO Manager to make contact but this appears to be inconsistent.)
But as is the case with many of the problems that are borne from Royal Holloway’s expansion, the students are not in fact the problem. It is the management, or more to the point, the lack of it.
Students don’t choose to overfill their bins willingly, they find that they have to as they don’t have enough bin capacity for their needs.
And this has led to a new problem, ‘Bin theft’ or more specifically ’Bin space theft’. (WNTTARH has heard from irritated residents who have had their bins used by their neighbours without permission, leaving them with the problem of what to do with their refuse.)
Worryingly, RBC believes that spending taxpayers’ money educating students is money well spent. We don’t think it is. This ‘whack a mole’ approach will never lead to a long term solution.
RBC should in fact be tackling the root cause of the problem and should be ensuring that the HMO manager is providing enough bins for the HMO. This is where they should be targeting their efforts.
In March 2024, RBC revisited its Waste & Recycling Policy where it was clarified that HMO Managers could apply for more bins for their HMOs. (In the past, there was ambiguity as to the amount of bins an HMO could have. The logic here BTW is that by limiting the amount of refuse bins a property can have, recycling rates will increase and refuse will be diverted from landfill.)
So now that the number of bins an HMO can have has been clarified, and that it is acknowledged by RBC that Private Sector Housing has the power to manage overflowing bins through statutory legislation, the question has to be, why are RBC still blaming the students and not using the policy and powers that are available to them to tackle the real cause of the problem?
Best wishes,
We Need To Talk About Royal Holloway
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