WASTE DISPOSAL & RECYCLING
STREET SAFE
Biffa has announced a move to install CCTV in its waste collection vehicles to help save the lives of those found sleeping in wheelie bins. Tim Standring, Biffa's divisional health, safety, environment and quality coach, discusses.
Last year, an estimated 2,744 people slept rough on any one night across England according to Government figures this is an increase of 55% since 2010. Approximately 84% of people who sleep rough have physical health problems, while 87% suffer from mental health issues. Many are unaware of the support that is available to them.
In the absence of anywhere else to sleep, wheelie bins can sometimes become a bed for the night for homeless people or even revellers after a night out – a potentially fatal decision that claimed four lives in 2014.
As a leading waste management services provider, Biffa is fully aware of this issue and ensures its drivers and waste collection teams are comprehensively trained to conduct thorough checks on all waste containers before emptying them. These involve visual inspections as well as banging on the bins to see if there is any response from inside.
It is thanks to the vigilance and hard work of the Biffa teams carrying out these vital checks that 93 lives were saved in 2014. Wherever possible, those found sleeping in bins by Biffa were reported to Street Link, a website that enables the public to
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alert local authorities in England to people sleeping rough in their area and connect homeless people to local services that can help.
ONE STEP FURTHER In a bid to further tackle the problem and provide more assistance to those found regularly sleeping in bins, Biffa has recently revealed plans to install CCTV in its waste collection vehicles.
“WHEELIE BINS CAN SOMETIMES BECOME A BED FOR THE NIGHT FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE OR EVEN REVELLERS AFTER A NIGHT OUT – A POTENTIALLY FATAL DECISION THAT CLAIMED FOUR LIVES IN 2014.”
This initiative will help identify the people sheltering in waste containers so this information can be passed onto local homeless support networks, enabling them to provide effective assistance to individuals deemed at risk.
Biffa consistently reviews and considers new initiatives to help boost
the safety of its staff and the general public. The new cameras will go one step further in tackling this issue by identifying people who regularly sleep in bins, so that they can be helped by the firm’s charity partners, with whom it works very closely.
MORE TO BE DONE To enhance safety even further, more onus must be placed on waste producers to play their part in tackling the problem. For example, securing their bins appropriately and carrying out their own checks when appropriate.
On a broader level, more needs to be done to address the root causes of homelessness to help reduce the number of people forced into sleeping rough, and potentially, in bins.
While Biffa cannot stop people climbing into waste containers in the first place, it is fully committed to enhancing its safety procedures and taking the necessary steps and investment to save lives. The company expects to fit cameras to 140 of its 800 trucks by the end of the year.
To report someone sleeping rough, visit
www.streetlink.org, download the free mobile app, or call 0300 500 0914.
www.biffa.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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