Safety Precautions When Placing a Skip Bin on the Street
When determining the best size skip bin to rent, you also need to consider whether you have adequate space for it on your property. In many instances skip bins are simply carefully deposited onto your driveway, and yet this might not always be feasible if your driveway is too small to allow access to your garage while the bin is there. It can also be problematic for the delivery truck to lower the bin into position if your driveway is particularly small. In these cases, you might simply think that you can have the bin placed on the nature strip or street directly outside your home. While this might be possible, you need to make some necessary arrangements beforehand.
Permit Required
It's really not a case of instructing the delivery truck to simply deposit the skip bin on the street or nature strip once it arrives. They will be unable to do so unless the proper permit has been granted. This is overseen by your local council and needs to be arranged ahead of time. Some bin companies can in fact take care of this for you, but again, it needs to be arranged ahead of time. You also need to be aware of any potential hindrances, such as whether the section of the street has been classified as a no stopping zone, or if placing the bin there will restrict access to any utilities. This could include access to storm water drains, or power transformers.
Traffic Hazard
Even if a permit is possible, you will need to ensure that the precise placement of the bin is not going to pose a hazard to motorists, including yourself. When the bin is in position, will you still have a clear view of oncoming traffic when accessing your driveway? Will your neighbours? If your home is located on a curve in the road, you also need to ensure that the bin will not block the view of the road for any motorists just passing by. Some minor amendments to the bin's originally planned position might be necessary in these cases.
Visibility After Dark
You will also need to consider how visible the bin will be after dark, even if it doesn't create a traffic hazard in the aforementioned sense. Motorists might be able to see the road when the bin is in position, but can they see the bin? If it cannot be placed directly under street lighting, you will need to arrange for a reflective strip to be placed on the bin for increased visibility. The bin hire company should be able to take care of this, and some councils might in fact make it a condition of a permit being issued.
So while in most cases you can technically place a skip bin on the nature strip or street outside your home, you need to be sure that you've taken all the necessary precautions.