B&M Waste Relaunch Annual winter ‘Refuse not Refuge’ campaign, warning of the dangers of sleeping in bins

This month B&M Waste Services are once again launching their Refuse not refuge winter campaign. B&M Waste pride themselves on putting safety at the forefront of everything they do and this campaign draws attention to an issue with is important to us as a responsible business.

With the winter fast approaching, closely coupled with the Christmas party season, we at B&M Waste Services are upping our campaign to reduce the number of people seeking refuse in waste containers with our ‘Refuse not Refuge’ campaign.

B&M Waste work in partnership with Crisis, who work directly with thousands of homeless people every year to provide vital help so that people can rebuild their lives and are supported out of homelessness for good. Together they raise awareness of the dangers of sleeping in bins, and how this can ultimately be a life ending decision. A video has been produced showing the dangers, and just how it would feel to fall the 20 feet from a raised up bin into the back of a waste truck. https://youtu.be/QxdUoLfzT4g

People who sleep rough have difficult choices to make, and sheltering in a bin can seem like a safe, dry place to spend the night. However, when the bin is emptied, all too often people are still inside and their lives become immediately at risk. Unfortunately, there have been a number of fatalities in the industry where people have been injured and even killed after sleeping in a bin.

B&M Waste Services operate a rigorous staff training and refresher programme to act as a constant reminder to our drivers to check each and every container before it is emptied. Also, as part of the campaign we ensure all our largest bins are stickered up clearly with our poster below.

Mick Ashall, Director at B&M Waste Services commented “A recent study conducted in partnership with Streetlink indicated that it’s not only homeless people but also drunken students and party goers who sleep in bins, a massive 11%. This is why we are not only working with Crisis, but our customers, particularly Universities, Colleges and Retail Parks, to apply best practice in reducing this risk through raising awareness of the problem.”

B&M are now looking to partner with customers in the area to raise awareness of the danger of sleeping in a waste container. At the end of the night when the funds have dried up and transport home is not an option, it is absolutely crucial NOT to choose a waste container to sleep in.

B&M customers are being asked to assist in raising awareness by displaying our posters around their site and mentioning the campaign on social media tagging @bagnallmorris and #refusenotrefuge

B&M Waste also encourage all customers interested in reducing this risk to contact them on 0330 1234 100 and speak to their account manager for further information or to receive your ‘Refuse not Refuge’ posters.