C4.40 Putting Bins Out¶
Why are dustbins in the UK placed at the front door? Why not on the roof?
Dustbins abroad are different from those we used to have in China. They have several detailed categories, mainly for environmental protection. Now, waste sorting is extremely popular in our country—"Start with me" has spawned many waste-sorting trends. Waste sorting standards vary by region, and there are even trendy items like waste-sorting crossbody bags and mineral water bottle earrings, which are absolutely fashionable, as shown in the image below:
So why are dustbins in the UK placed at the front door? Why not at the back door, nearby, or even on the roof?
In short, there are two reasons:
To facilitate the unified collection of garbage on the road.
There is no extra space for placing dustbins
According to a paper and statements by Professor Elizabeth Shove, a sociologist at Lancaster University, as reported by the BBC, the placement of dustbins at the front door is linked to the institutionalization of waste collection—this is likely why they are kept outside rather than indoors.
The systematic collection of sorted household waste in UK urban areas was first introduced by the Public Health Act of 1848. At that time, people burned their garbage and collected the ashes in ash pits built into the walls of their backyards. By the early 20th century, these ash pits could no longer handle household waste. Fixed to backyard walls, they made collection arrangements inflexible, and their small capacity was unsuitable for larger waste items.
Metal dustbins from the 1950s were replaced by large plastic bins in the 1960s, which were placed at the front of houses to enable roadside waste collection.
Among other sources, the National House Building Council noted in a report on "bin blight" that properties in densely populated areas may lack external space at the back or side for dustbins, leaving residents with no choice but to place them outside their front doors