A joint initiative to tackle the potentially deadly issue of people using bins for shelter this winter has been announced by a number of UK waste management companies.

More than 10 people have died in the UK during the last five years after containers in which they’d sought shelter overnight were emptied into waste trucks, which often compress and shred material to increase capacity, leading to injuries and deaths.

As the nights draw in and temperatures start to drop, members of the UK waste industry, led by Biffa, Veolia and B&M Waste Services, have committed to work together to help save lives through increased education and cooperation.

The three waste management companies met in Birmingham last week with representatives from industry trade associations the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association (ESA), as well as the national workplace health agency the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). They were joined by two charities, Framework and Homeless Link, to consider ways to tackle the issue and protect vulnerable people.

The meeting heard that the homeless crisis is putting more at risk; bins provide an enclosed and padded shelter from the elements, with waste management company Biffa saying that it finds approximately three people sleeping in its containers every week.

It is not just the homeless that are at risk of sleeping in bins, as the companies noted that bins are sometimes used by those making their way home under the influence of drink or drugs seeking shelter. A recent survey conducted by B&M Waste Services and Streetlink found that 11 per cent of those sleeping in bins were people returning from a night out.

People are often still inside when the bin is emptied and are tipped into collection vehicles.

In August 2015, a 34-year-old man, Mathew Symonds, who had been sleeping rough after being turned away by a hostel, was found crushed to death at Biffa’s Avonmouth depot, an hour after an industrial waste bin had been emptied onto a conveyor. Meanwhile in 2012, the body of Canadian student Garret Elsey was found at New Earth Solutions’ Avonmouth plant after he had fallen asleep in a bin after a night out on his first night in Bristol.

Saving lives through ‘pooling resources and sharing information’

To address the issue of bin sleepers and save lives, the companies have agreed to pool resources to share information and create industry-wide initiatives. Work will also take place to expand the group to include more members and work with local authorities.

The joint initiative follows on from Biffa’s own work with charity Homeless Link to encourage members of the public to alert local authorities, which featured on the BBC earlier this year.

B&M Waste Services also launched its ‘Refuse not Refuge’ campaign in 2013, which raises awareness about the dangers of taking shelter in waste containers by displaying posters around the company’s site and mentioning the campaign on social media.

The People in Bins Steering Group has committed to meeting in the new year to agree the details of the industry-wide initiatives and seek the wider involvement of all sectors of the UK waste industry.

Wider responsibility

Tim Standring, Biffa’s Health, Safety Environment and Quality Coach, said: “Even though we’ve increased training and awareness over the last two years and discovered more people in our bins, tragically, fatalities are still occurring across our industry.

“But there is a wider responsibility beyond simply the waste companies – it needs a holistic approach from all sectors and stakeholders including our customers, local authorities and the general public.”

Ann McMurrie, B&M Waste Services’ Environment Manager, added: “Coming together as an industry seems the sensible way forward to raise awareness of the terrible dangers of sleeping in waste containers. We now urge other parties such as local authorities and customers to spread this message, and further reduce fatalities in the future.”