A refuse collector known as the UK's "number one BINfluencer" has shared advice for households ahead of the wetter months, urging people to put their wheelie bins out promptly even in the rain.
Ashley, who shares tips with over 204,000 followers on TikTok, said that waiting for the rain to stop before bringing out the bin can result in missed collections and overflowing waste.
Don't wait for the rain to stop
In a TikTok clip, Ashley said: "Right, we're getting into rainy weather time. If it's raining outside and you think, 'oh, I didn't take my bin out', and you'll just wait until the binmen are down the road, and then decide to bring it out — no. Just take your bin out. You have to just put your raincoat on and whatever."
He explained that refuse collectors do not have time to stop and wait for residents to fetch their bin. "We don't want to be standing around, we want to keep moving to the next bins. We don't want to be standing there waiting for you to bring your bin out. It's raining, I know it's miserable, but still just bring it out," he added.
Bring the bin out the night before
The waste collector advised bringing the bin out as soon as you remember it is collection day, or better still, leaving it out the night before.
He recalled: "Literally two days ago, I was out collecting bins, and we had to wait for someone and collect their bin. I'm wet, alright, I don't want to be waiting around, I'm freezing. Or we're going to be carrying on working down the road, and you're going to have to bring it even further."
Residents can check their local council's website for collection dates, which may differ during bank holidays.
Recycling rules to remember
Under new recycling regulations aimed at boosting recycling rates and cutting contamination, it can be confusing to know what belongs in each bin. Rules vary between councils.
Graham Flynn, a waste management expert and managing director at Anenta, cautioned Brits to be careful about what they place in recycling bins, including receipts, which frequently cannot be recycled, along with wrapping paper, crisp packets and toothpaste tubes.
