Refuse chutes in high-rise buildings were once seen as a convenience. The aftermath of WW2, coupled with pre-existing slum clearance, saw a tower block building boom sweep Britain between the 1950s and 70s. Cities across the UK were transformed and residents who had previously lived in back-to-back terraced communities were moved to “streets in the sky”, with “windows to the world” and tempting mod-cons – not least; towering refuse chutes, whizzing away waste and spanning the height of these vast, high-rise buildings.
Unfortunately, in many estates, they quickly became magnets for crime, drug use and anti-social behaviour.
It is noted that the very idea of streets in the sky, with walkways leading to various spaces or dead-ends such as bin-chute rooms, multiple storeys above the ground, is primarily flawed. Housing associations and police forces across the UK are increasingly recognising that bin chute rooms, often secluded and poorly monitored, are being misused by non-residents and criminals. Lacking passers-by, like an actual street, these spaces in high-rise buildings act like walls, cutting off residents from the usual deterrents to crime and disorder.
Examples
In a recent comparison of high-rise buildings which examined fire safety, a spate of fires was reported, apparently started deliberately, in the chutes used to send rubbish to the ground floor. One resident described opening her door to a thick wall of smoke. It was stated that the rubbish chutes have needed to be modified to deter arsonists and a trained fire warden now patrols the high-rise building around the clock.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) recently issued a ban preventing all non-residents from congregating on stairwells, landings and refuse chute areas in one housing estate, due to the anti-social behaviour intrinsically linked with these areas.
Across the country, the internal bin rooms housing chutes in high-rise buildings, are frequently taken over by rough sleepers, leading to concerns over drug use, fire hazards and hygiene, it is reported. For many residents, these areas of their buildings have become no-go zones.
In a case in Leeds, people have been found sleeping rough in bin chutes and areas have been used as toilets. It is said that residents’ lives ‘have been blighted by long-running issues with drug use and anti-social behaviour.’
Meanwhile, in Bexley, ‘yobs’ have been reported urinating and spitting in the communal bin chute area, leaving elderly residents frightened.
Local authorities are now being urged to take action, closing many bin chutes altogether, not least because of the unregulated, hidden location of them within high-rise buildings.
But residents need to dispose of their waste safely. What’s the solution?
Councils like Hounslow and Hackney have already begun removing refuse chutes, working with metroSTOR, to install secure, external bin enclosures. These simple installations look and feel safe, secure and attractive. Beneficial for so many reasons; namely reduced fire risk, improved waste management and recycling, the decommissioning of chutes in favour for ground-level bin enclosures also eliminates the secluded spaces which are attracting anti-social behaviour.
Click to find out more about the other risks associated with these outdated systems: Bin the Chutes: Decommission refuse chutes in high-rise living.
Listen back to industry experts with first-hand experience of closing refuse chutes in their high-rise communities.
