‘Leaving your bin outside and going away a big non-no’
Security company says there is a new concerning trend where residents take their bins out for ‘Friday Bin Day’ and then go away for the weekend without taking them back inside, giving a clear indication to criminals that they are not home.
Fidelity ADT warned residents not to leave their wheelie bins out the night before rubbish collection or once rubbish has been collected on dustbin day.
Charnel Hattingh, the marketing and communications group head at Fidelity ADT, said they have noticed that residents are not taking the bins back inside once rubbish has been collected, leaving their wheelie bins out overnight.
“Another new concerning trend is that we have seen that some residents take their bins out for ‘Friday Bin Day’ and then go away for the weekend without taking them back inside, giving a clear indication to criminals that they are not home. We urge residents to be vigilant and put their bins back in their yards before they leave. Residents are leaving their bins out overnight and criminals are using this as a ladder to climb over your perimeter wall, not only that but bins are also being stolen,” she said.
She added that the bins are being bumped over blocking driveways, which means residents must get out of their cars in the morning to move the bins exposing them to potential hijackings in the early hours.
“Dustbins also provide a good hiding place for hijackers who may target residents returning from work in the evenings.”
She urged residents to not only put their dustbins out on the morning of collection day but also remember to bring them back in.
“If you are not going to return home at the end of a collection day, ask a neighbour to take your dustbin in. A dustbin left standing on the pavement is a dead giveaway that there is nobody home. Remember to never put anything in your dustbin that has all your details on it. Always shred confidential information.”
“Let’s work together to make our suburbs safer,” concluded Hattingh.
