Advertisement
Christmas Special - Get your first 12 issues for just £12
SUBSCRIBE
Housing

Rough sleeping in bins falls but campaigners call for ‘constant vigilance’

Waste management company Biffa reports the first decrease in the number of people spotted sheltering in bins for the first time in seven years

Biffa report rough sleeping in bins

Image credit: easylocum 2.0/Flickr

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the biggest decline in the number of rough sleepers found seeking shelter in bins for seven years – but waste management firms and homelessness charities have warned “there is still more to do”.

Waste industry company Biffa reported that staff found 29 people between April and December 2020 – down from 102 cases in 2019 – as Covid-19 restrictions and the Everyone In campaign moved rough sleepers off the streets.

The decline ends a seven-year spell in which the number of reported incidents of rough sleeping in bins rose by 14 per cent year-on-year between 2014 and 2019, totalling 740 cases.

Lockdowns have taken income away from hundreds of Big Issue sellers. Support The Big Issue and our vendors by signing up for a subscription. 

Paul Wright, group health and safety director at Biffa, said the firm had worked closely with homelessness helpline Streetlink to raise awareness of the issue with 25,000 businesses as well as other companies in the waste industry and homelessness charities.

“It requires constant vigilance and Biffa is committed to continuous improvement of industry practices and those of our customers to prevent unnecessary injuries and fatalities,” said Wright. 

Advertisement
Advertisement

“Whilst the decline in our data is reassuring, there is still a way to go and we will continue to develop policies and procedures for widespread adoption to prevent further tragedies.”

Homelessness charity St Mungo’s has contributed to Biffa’s report on rough sleepers found in bins in recent years.

Steve Douglas, chief executive of St Mungo’s who helped Biffa with the report, said: “During this pandemic, through partnership working, we have successfully managed to bring many people rough sleeping into emergency accommodation. However, there is still more to do.

“It is unacceptable that people are so desperate that they will seek refuge in bin containers, especially when these are some of the most vulnerable people in our society.”

Another waste management company, BusinessWaste.co.uk, has laid out its own procedures as part of a renewed commitment to prevent rough sleeping in bins.

It is unacceptable that people are so desperate that they will seek refuge in bin containers

The firm recommended others in the industry should fit bins with a working lock to prevent access, train staff to check bins by hitting the sides and place warning signs on the bins themselves. 

“People sheltering in bins are putting their lives at risk, and the only way we can end this is for urgent action to be taken working alongside waste management companies, homeless charities and local communities,” said BusinessWaste.co.uk’s Mark Hall.

“We are looking to safeguard the public from any harm that may occur from sleeping in bins, but also to look after our hard-working staff, who would be traumatised to witness any fatalities while on shift.

“If you see someone who is rough sleeping, make sure to report it to local homeless charities who can check in on them and may be able to provide them with shelter or aid – you could help to save a life this winter.”

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
How Labour's new Skills England can save the construction industry and fix the housing crisis
Housing

How Labour's new Skills England can save the construction industry and fix the housing crisis

Could these £50,000, eco-friendly tiny homes be the answer to the UK's housing crisis?
Concept CGi for what Tiny Homes may look like.
Tiny homes

Could these £50,000, eco-friendly tiny homes be the answer to the UK's housing crisis?

'This is the dream': These Londoners built their own homes to beat sky-high house prices
Couple Ahmad Dayes and Lisa de Liema built their own home to beat London house prices
Housing

'This is the dream': These Londoners built their own homes to beat sky-high house prices

Starmer pledges £3.5m to help homeless veterans ahead of Remembrance Day: 'We pay solemn tribute'
Prime minister Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street with a veteran
Homelessness

Starmer pledges £3.5m to help homeless veterans ahead of Remembrance Day: 'We pay solemn tribute'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know