Authorities are becoming increasingly sensitive to the potential fire dangers associated with internal rubbish chutes and the bin houses they feed into. Chutes were designed for small amounts of rubbish to be tossed down at frequent intervals to go into the locked bin shed below, and they make no allowance for recycling. Attempting to shove a full bin bag into a chute will often block it, requiring maintenance call-outs, and the bin houses are often left unlocked and susceptible to arson. To start with, many local authorities put recycling bins outside the main entrances to flats, but I think regulations now require communal bins to be housed well away from the buildings they serve. Replacing chutes with communal bins might help Hounslow's recycling rates, as long as residents use them as intended, but it isn't easy on existing estates to put them somewhere that's conveniently accessible but not an eyesore. And, as with so many other things, with a scheme like this, residents should be properly consulted or it won't work.
Peter Evans ● 1139d