‘Don’t put dustbins out the night before’

While it may seem logical to put your wheelie dustbin on the pavement the night before collection morning, it is in fact a security risk, warned security company Fidelity ADT.

Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT’s National Marketing and Communications Manager said putting your dustbin out early means that it sits on the pavement overnight and can be used as a perfect stepladder to get up into a tree and over a wall.

“We are also seeing that recyclers want to have first pickings of the dustbin contents, so they are entering the suburbs during the night now, which of course causes security issues,” she said.

She added that the bins are also being knocked over, blocking driveways, which means residents have to 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, particularly at this time of year when it gets darker earlier.”

She urged residents to only put their dustbins out on the morning of collection day.

“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 give-a-way that there is nobody home. And 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 Charnel.