Waste Containers - Bins in Public Areas

Bins in Public Areas

Certain public areas such as parks have litter bins which are placed alongside paths frequently walked by visitors. This encourages people to avoid littering, as littering creates an unhealthy and aesthetically unpleasant social environment.

Bins in outdoor locations or other busy public areas are usually mounted to the ground or floor. This discourages theft, and also reduces vandalism by making it harder for the bins to be physically moved, maneuvered, or tipped over.

In the past terrorists have left bombs in bins. The bomb is much less likely to be spotted than an unattended bag and the metal bins provide extra shrapnel that injures people nearby when it detonates. For this reason there are no bins in most railway stations, most airports and many shopping centres in the United Kingdom, or if they are provided they are just a see through bin bag hanging from a metal hoop. An alternative 'bomb-resistant' design, features a plastic inner barrel surrounded by a thick steel outer barrel and a heavy hinged steel lid with a small hole for waste, intended to direct any explosion upwards and contain shrapnel.

Apartment buildings often have dust flumes in which residents can dispose of their waste in stainless steel waste containers. These chutes usually lead to some large receptacle or waste-disposal complex in the basement.