Bin bag safety: be mindful of what you dispose of

Residents are urged to be mindful of what they throw away and how they dispose of these items.
“We have received information of break-ins that have occurred within a day of bin bags being placed outside for collection,” said Charnel Hattingh, group head of marketing and communications at Fidelity ADT.
“Not all rubbish bag diggers are as innocent as they appear. Would-be thieves may rummage through rubbish to gain information about households before planning a break-in.

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“Make a conscious effort not to leave empty boxes or packaging on your pavement or verge alongside rubbish bins. This is a dead giveaway of newly bought items such as home theatre systems, TV’s, or computers. Avoid tempting thieves and rather flatten such boxes and conceal them or recycle them,” said Hattingh.
Additional data received indicates that suspects also look for medication containers and boxes, particularly sleeping medication packaging.
“Residents are urged to remove labels and information displayed on medicine containers before discarding them,” added Hattingh.
Be aware of what you dispose of as you may be providing criminals with a ‘shopping list’.
“Be cautious of what you throw away, remain vigilant and do not leave anything to chance,” concluded Hattingh.