Planning to Place a Skip Bin on the Street Outside Your Home? Read This First

When renting skip bins, there are generally two choices when it comes to where they will be positioned. Option one is on your driveway. This is perhaps the easiest choice in terms of actually utilising the skip bin (with less distance to carry the items that will be deposited into the bin), and the trade-off is that you might not be able to access your garage so easily for the duration of the hire. The second option is to place the bin on the street directly outside your home. Since it will not be on your property, there are a number of public safety concerns that come into play when skip bins are placed on the street. So what are these safety concerns, and how can they be addressed?

The Legality of the Placement

Though it's a stationary object, the skip bin will essentially be parked on the street, and can be subjected to the same parking restrictions as a vehicle. Are there any parking restrictions on the street outside your home? You must also obtain permission from your local council in order to be able to place the bin on the street for the duration of the hire. Some hire companies can obtain this permit on your behalf and the cost of the permit is factored into the hire charge. This is not always a foregone conclusion, and you should enquire as to whether they will do this for you, or if you will need to make the arrangements yourself prior to the delivery of the bin.

Obstruction

While the skip bin will be legally permitted to be placed on the street (once the permit has been obtained), it cannot obstruct traffic. Depending on the shape and width of the street directly outside your home, this could be a possibility. You also need to consider other ways in which the skip bin might be an impediment. Will it block a driver's line of sight, rendering it difficult for them to see oncoming traffic? Will it also block your neighbour's line of sight when entering and exiting their own driveway? If any of these concerns come into play, some minor tweaking of your intended placement will be necessary, and you simply need to direct the bin company to deposit the bin in the exact position where it is unlikely to cause problems.

At Night

You also need to think about the visibility of the bin, particularly after dark. It's a large, stationary object which might be difficult to spot at night (also creating a traffic hazard). If possible, position it under the beam of a streetlight for maximum visibility. You might also want to ensure that the bin has been equipped with a reflective strip that will allow drivers to see it with greater clarity.

It's not as though depositing a skip bin on the street is fraught with danger, but it's important to be aware of the fact that there can be some safety concerns that don't exist when the bin is on your own driveway.


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