Wheelie bin fires have caused deaths in the city, are you concerned about them and do you have any solutions to prevent more fires?

Wheelie bin fires have caused deaths in the city, are you concerned about them and do you have any solutions to prevent more fires?

Well it would help if Onyx emptied them once in a while. There are blue bins near me that haven't been emptied since Xmas.
The bins are full and the area around them full of boxes advertising to any local burglars what great stuff the residents got for crimbo - TVs, DVD players, Computer stuff etc

I would worry if I lived in an area where this was prevalent and where the bins were easily accessible. Fortunately mine are behind a gate, and we live in a good area anyway, and people dont go round our back garden. Onyx havent been for a while for our blue paper bin either, and I am getting a bit fed up of that as it is now full. So I can see that its a problem.

Wheelie bin fires have caused deaths in the city
Really? How? When?
How do they catch fire? Who sets them alight?
I'm guessing there's two real solutions:
1) don't put combustibles/ignition sources in them
2) lock them

Option 2 is impractical and Option 1 is common sense. Have there really been deaths caused by flaming bins that warrant any kind of action at all?

must defend onyx here. our blue bin is emptied on time every month. We once lost track of time and rang them. They sent us the dates when it will be emptied and it always has been.
As for the fire problem I don't know the answer. Ours in our back behind a locked gate. Pehaps they could damp the paper as they put it out in the problem areas. It might help. Whoever is doing it must have a screw loose:loopy:

Really? How? When?
How do they catch fire? Who sets them alight?
I'm guessing there's two real solutions:
1) don't put combustibles/ignition sources in them
2) lock them

Option 2 is impractical and Option 1 is common sense. Have there really been deaths caused by flaming bins that warrant any kind of action at all?

They are the blue wheelie bins which are there for the recycling of paper. Therefore they are combustible.
They catch fire because some idiots think it is fun to light them. As for who sets them alight, well it was kids who set the bins of fire which resulted in the three deaths just before Christmas.

[QUOTE=hotphil]Really? How? When?
How do they catch fire? Who sets them alight?
I'm guessing there's two real solutions:
1) don't put combustibles/ignition sources in them
2) lock them]

There was a case recently where an elderly couple and their disabled son were killed by a wheelie bin fire. A new block of flats near to where I live was set alight by wheelie bins being set alight then placed in front of the front door. Luckily no-one was badly injured that time, but the flats were extensivley damaged and after - it must be near 2 years - they have just been repaired including completely new roofs. As to who sets light to them and not putting combustables/ignition sources in them - they are bins which hold paper amongst other things and its the mindless idiots again who haven't got enough brain to think about the consequences of their actions who set light to them.

Well then the discussion's not really about wheelie-bins really - more about idiot kids.
Assuming caught, they should be sent down for life (in the proper sense of the word - not 5 years or some other lax sentence).
I can't see how/what could be done to stop them other than a sense of respect and decency, clearly they don't want to act as members of society and so shouldn't be given the chance.

My partner was a firefighter until recently, he went to many wheelie bin fires (in fact malicously set small fires and false alarms make up the bulkof their work). The police seem to take no action what so ever over this kind of "Petty" arson, and didn't usually even respond to the call, which is a shame because quite often the perpetrators are still there goading/throwing house bricks at the firefighters.

Perhaps if the police responded to these sorts of incidents and dealt with them appropriately, the recent tragedy that occured may have been prevented.

Indeed, IMO they should be caught and made to watch whilst their own house is torched. Word would soon get round that that kind of petty vandalism/arson has very real consequences and is unacceptable.

Indeed, IMO they should be caught and made to watch whilst their own house is torched. Word would soon get round that that kind of petty vandalism/arson has very real consequences and is unacceptable.


That wouldn't work though would it? Most of them who do it are kids who live with their parents!

Well, if the parents were taking their responsibilities seriously they wouldn't have to cope with the results of their inactions. Personally, I think it would work quite well - might make them take their responsibilities a bit more seriously.

The development of the blue wheelie bin full of paper has created thousands of mobile bonfires for any idiot to play with.
As we have a lot of idiots around who know that they will not be caught, we have created another antisocial problem.

Around us, we have approximately one blue bin taken per month and set on fire. Sometimes on open space, sometimes against wooden fences and sometimes against trees.

Some neighbours have got their bin replaced, but the majority have not bothered.

Is there an answer?

One suggestion is to pay us to take our paper to collection centres instead of paying Onyx to come and collect it and do away with these blue bins in the process.

It's a difficult one - how many people would actually take their paper to the tip for a few measly pence? The council would then fail their government-set targets.

I want to put in a good word for Onyx. They always come on the due date but because I get so little paper and cardboard I wait till the blue bin is nearly full before I put it out which works out about twice a year. Last month when I came home someone had been down the drive and emptied it without my even putting it out for them. Thank you Onyx, a good job well done.

It is a difficult one but like hotphil says, many aren't interested in travelling to the recycling centres. I think it should be choice. If you are abale to keep your blue bin safe and hidden out of view then it is fine but those who have them on view at all times should have a choice whether to keep it. Maybe Onyx should look for a non-flammable container such as the old bins which would contain the fire.

Most kids area my area tend to leave the blue bins alone as they are out of view, they just set fire to grass areas and trees instead :rant:

Thing is it isn't just the blue 'paper only' bins which get set alight. Any bins get attacked, and I have often seen the melted remains of black bins stood at the side of roads / in people's gardens.

Being literally a stones throw from the house where the guy and his parents were killed by such lighting of bins, this is an issue which obviously is worrying a lot of people on our estate. Problem is, the type of moronic scum who do this don't actually relate to the fact that real people can be affected by their actions, and they simply get a kick out of setting fire to things. Arson has attracted morons for centuries - and always will.

All we can hope is that these idiots are always caught before they hurt someone - and to aid this it means that we, as residents, have to stop fearing them and report suspicious behaviour before it gets out of hand. Too often do people think "That group are up to something - but I'm not getting involved, I'll let someone else deal with it!" What if everyone else thinks the same?

That wouldn't work though would it? Most of them who do it are kids who live with their parents!

You'd be surprised, the parents are often there with them, showing them how it's done

It's a difficult one - how many people would actually take their paper to the tip for a few measly pence? The council would then fail their government-set targets.

I used to get my pocket money by collecting old papers and taking them to the merchant!

I also think that we come round once again to the knock-on effects of the police interfereing when local residents try to maintain order in their own locality.

Fear of arrest prevents many from getting involved, combined with the knowledge that they are unlikely to get police assistance when bricks come through the window as retaliation.

We all need reassurance that there will be no stupid police charges when we take reasonable action to stop a crime in action.
I stress "reasonable" and note that sometimes that may include force (still 'reasonable' though).