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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Rats in communal dumpsters

12 replies

SequentialAnalyst · 10/08/2023 22:02

I live in a small block of 2-storey flats/houses, which consists of 20 dwellings. We put our rubbish in 5 large dumpsters on wheels provided by the council. One was replaced earlier this year - before that, all 5 were heavy duty plastic, however we now have one metal bodied dumpster.

As it is impossible to maintain recycling discipline, there is no separation of recycling and household rubbish for us residents, unlike the norm elsewhere in the area eg terraced houses. I think the rubbish is emptied weekly.

The problem is that rats are gnawing through the bottom of the plastic dumpsters and living inside them. The other day I opened a bin to put a bag of rubbish in, and there was a rat on the top of the fairly full bin. My young male rat-phobic neighbour has taken to kicking any dumpser he wants to put a binbag in, and waiting for the rats to drop out the bottom and scurry away.

I am trying to report this to the Council but they seem to think it is a problem for the Management Company who maintain the fabric of the building etc. I am working on an email to be sent simultaneously to both the Council and the Management Company.

I wondered if others have been experiencing this problem, and thought "Aha! I will ask on MN! I'm in NE England.

OP posts:

Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 10/08/2023 22:06

*a rat on top of the rubbish inside the dumpster, which was fairly full.

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 11/08/2023 19:23

I originally posted in Chat, but got no replies, so asked MN to move this to Housekeeping

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 12:13

Still no replies. Does no-one else have this problem?

If you have communal dumpsters, are they plastic or metal?

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Badbudgeter · 13/08/2023 12:39

Most communal dumpsters tend to be made of plastic these days. The replacement metal bin is probably an old one they had at the yard and swapped it out as the one that was there needed a wheel repair. It’s not an uncommon issue. The loaders know which bins they need to kick and stand back before moving.

Obviously you can complain but It’s a hard problem to tackle. There are rats, the bins smell nice, they will find a way to the food. Even if they lay out poison and kill this batch the ones from the next street will move in.

Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 12:53

No, the metal dumpster was provided to replace a previous plastic dumpster.

The large posh student houses near by, with perhaps 10 residents, have 3 new metal dumpsters now, smaller than ours though. These have replaced the previous ones in the last year.

We are in the NE, so the weather is cooler and drier than elsewhere. I suspect this may be a nationwide problem which is only going to get worse. If metal dumpsters are the answer, it will be a costly one.

The loaders know, and so do I now. The loaders are binmen. However, the householders have to open the dumpsters and put their rubbish in themselves, as is usual. (BTW not having 3 hands, I can scarcely manage to hold the lid open and put my rubbish in at the same time). The dumpsters are out in the open.

There will always be rats. I've seen them occasionally for some years when putting rubbish out. But I don't think they have actually been inside the dumpsters until fairly recently.

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 12:54

these have replaced the previous plastic *ones in the last year.

Thanks so much for replying, BTW

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 12:56

oops meant to bold only the word plastic

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 13:08

Just to add, I know it is a bit different in London and Greater London, where urban foxes are a problem, and food waste must be disposed of in fox-proof canisters. I don't know how this works if waste disposal is via communal bins, though.

If such a system were introduced here, I doubt that all the residents here would adhere to it.

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Badbudgeter · 13/08/2023 13:47

Have you tried contacting the council? In my LA they are using more plastic bins as lighter/ easier to manoeuvre and loaders often have to retire early due to back injuries. I appreciate it’s different across the Councils so maybe yours are moving back to metal ones due to vermin problems.

I’d call up and ask them. Rats can cause lots of damage. I knew someone who parked her car next to a communal bin in the car park and went on holiday for a couple of weeks. Came back rats had eaten their way into the boot through to the back seat which was covered in rat poo/ pee and chewed kids car seats/ actual car seats. Admittedly there was probably crumbs/ leftovers but still.

Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 15:32

From my OP

As I see it, I have reported the problem to the council. They provide the communal bins. They know there is a problem, and it is not a standard problem of a rat infestation inside a dwelling. They know who the management company is, as we have had ongoing problems over the years with other residents not disposing of their rubbish properly.

I think the person I spoke to at the Council did not understand the problem properly. I don't think they could accurately visualise our dumpsters from my description, but IMHO should have been trained to do so.

So I am going to take some photos to include in the email I am drafting.
<sigh>

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Original poster

SequentialAnalyst · 13/08/2023 15:41

To be clear, the only advice I was given when I reported this last Monday by phone was that I should contact the Management Company.

Most of the residents here are renting, stay for a relatively short time, and probably don't even know who the Management Company is. I rent too, but made it my business to find out a few years ago, and have rung them a very few times about storm damage etc.

I suppose I could contact the other residents and we could do this together. But why on earth is this problem still mine, and not the Councils's, now they know about it?