Why do dustbins have decibel ratings?

Events last night got me thinking. Some people down our road put the wrong bins out in the afternoon, they’d put out green and burgundy and it was quite clearly a black bin week. Later in the evening I trundled ours down and there was a proper mix up, some black but some green and burgundy. This got me in a panic as even our neighbour but one had put out the “wrong bins” too. I had a think and I was sure that I was correct, this was confirmed later as I heard the rumble from our neighbour’s as he wheeled them back up, no mean feat as the drives are long and steep and 1 in 6 in places – I know this for certain as I measured it for the postie.. However, the rumbling of the bins got me thinking, two of our bins, the newest, have decibel ratings on them. What is this for? Is it for the rumble of the wheels or the noise they make when tipped into the lorry. How do they test this accurately as an empty bin resonates more than a full one? There’s also the contents to take into consideration, a full burgundy bin (I know, we’re posh in North East Derbyshire) that has mostly glass bottles in will make more noise than one that has been carefully packed with interspersed  layers of cardboard to disguise one’s drinking problem, (I don’t drink anymore!). Can anyone throw any light on my puzzlement? Photographic proof below, or maybe above.

It’s the noise rating for slamming the lid or wheeling it along, believe it or not. Because they’re classed as outdoor equipment, and such stuff needs to have noise ratings.

EU directive 2004/14/EC is what covers them.

0630, Friday morning. Just with less syncopation.

The really random question, (and answers) thread.

It’s an EU directive.  I think it pertains to the slamming of the lid.

Here.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32000L0014

The tests are listed under “39. MOBILE WASTE CONTAINERS” – It’s the lid, and the wheels rolling on an uneven surface.

Bin dun

It’s the lid, and the wheels rolling on an uneven surface.

Is there a set of standards for the surface though? Surely footpaths should also have a dB rating so that we know what brands of bin are compatible.

Bloody EU restricting the noise I can make with my bin, how dare they. I going to write to Jacob Rees-Mogg and get him to make sure we have EU free bins so we can reclaim our freedom!!

I will also be writing to the government to make sure they force all councils across the county to replace all our bins with EU free versions.

Also, what tyres?

I would argue that it’s not a random question, but one with far reaching consequences. Now we’re out of the EU does it mean that we can go back to noisy bins or is it part of the legislation that we’ve re-adopted and carried over? If this is the case what are the arrangements for Northern Ireland? I can remember that dustbin lids, and slamming in particular were quite popular in the Nationalist movement, are there exemptions in place as there are for various customs procedures?

I assumed it was for the noise generated when tipping a full bin full of glass into the lorry. Which if you’ve ever stood nearby when that happens you’ll realise it can make your ears ring!

I suppose from a consumer point of view it seems pretty frivolous, becuase we only move a bin for a few seconds every week – but of course if you’re a bin man or janitor etc then you’re subject to the noise equipment makes all day every day. If you’re job is to wheel bins around corridors in factories or offices for instance  then the noise they make is a factor both to the operator and and the people who they might be disturbing while you work – how noisy a bin is move in a call centre would be an issue for instance  , so someone buying those bins will want to now how loud or quiet the are. I often work in film studios for instance and how much noise anything makes is a factor in buying it.

We need to go back to the good old British binman, saying ‘gor blimey’, rattling your bins at 6am, and being forced out of work with a serious degenerative spinal condition at 40.

None of this woke EU workplace safety nonsense under 7 bins Starmer.

We need to go back to the good old British binman, saying ‘gor blimey’, rattling your bins at 6am, and being forced out of work with a serious degenerative spinal condition at 40.

None of this woke EU workplace safety nonsense under 7 bins Starmer.

We used to get woken up by the dustman. Now the bins are woke.

When you’re 20, you’re interested in the sound of the bass bins.

When you’re 40, you’re interested in the noise of wheely bins.

“ We used to get woken up by the dustman. Now the bins are woke.”

Excellent!!

We used to get woken up by the dustman. Now the bins are woke.

Do you then put trousers on, have a cup of tea, and think about leaving the house?

What about white bins? Don’t they matter too.

Rubbish thread

I don’t know of any white bins, I think they would be very loud and always right so perhaps exceed the decibel limits? If there aren’t any white bins then perhaps we need more diversity in the sector?

As a councillor we still get plenty of grumbles about bin men being noisy so I imagine these complaints influenced attempts at noise reduction.

I guess they’d prefer we stopped collections and they had a nice, quiet rat infestation instead.

If you are putting the wrong bin out, clearly you are not following the correct person. Y’know, the one that always gets the correct bin out on the correct day. Who is that, you ask?

“The Binfluencer”, I reply.

Wrong bin, wrong day? You’ve bin “mis-binformed”…

I don’t know of any white bins,

The businesses across the back from me have white wheelie bins (amongst others), I’m assuming for trade recycling of paper/card.

a full burgundy bin (I know, we’re posh in North East Derbyshire)

Congratulations, you’re as posh as Burnley.

We have a full-size – actually, oversized – burgundy bin for general waste, domestic recycling is the old bag-and-box scheme which even Hyndburn abandoned years ago as being stupid, unpopular and unfit for purpose.  Though that’s academic anyway as they’ve both been nicked, I just put recycling out in bin bags which the council will accept so long as they’re clear.

I have to go and check all my bins now, and slam the lids to see if I can notice a difference.

full burgundy bin

Sorting your wine bottles by AOC!  We don’t even have that in Surrey.

Bloody EU restricting the noise I can make with my bin, how dare they.

Hold my beer…

if you’ve ever stood nearby when that happens you’ll realise it can make your ears ring!

Always amazed me that when I was tipping glass bins there was only one other person who’d ever wear hearing protection. Even tipping other recycling or general waste I wore it, those trucks are bloody noisy when standing at the back of them

maccruiskeen
Full Member

We used to get woken up by the dustman. Now the bins are woke.

PARKLIFE

Is there a separate rating for the contents. Those cats in a sack can make a right racket.

My dad was a refuse collector, he always wore appropriate PPE for the times, including quite fantastic trousers and a super pair of toetectors

He lived in his own flat that he bought through the right to buy scheme

He was always a stickler for recycling, especially old jokes

Our newest bin has small mouldings on the edge of the lid, where it makes contact with the main body of the bin, that stand slightly proud, with a cutout behind to allow some flex. This design cant slam as loudly as the others. 77dB apparently.

In the South East all our bins have soft action lids which don’t slam.

We’re not uncouth like the North….

The refuse removal executives all wear suits as well…

I find that over-filling rhe bins damps out the lid bang.

Can’t believe the council bin-Stazi get upset about that when I’m saving them from later H+S compo claims

@kormoran are you Lonnie Donegan?

Do you then put trousers on, have a cup of tea, and think about leaving the house?

Yeah, then I feed the pigeons, I sometimes feed the sparrows too, it gives me an enormous sense of wellbeing.

My Australian made bins definitely don’t have decibel ratings… they are recyclable though.

If I wanted to recycle my bin would I have to order another bigger bin to put it in first?

I going to write to Jacob Rees-Mogg and get him to make sure we have EU free bins so we can reclaim our freedom!!

better make it fast, he’ll be putting his feet up somewhere other than North Somerset for the foreseeable future!

In the South East all our bins have soft action lids which don’t slam.

We’re not uncouth like the North….

I’m surprised your butler has even discussed the bins with you. No doubt the next thing he’ll be telling you its whether he puts the ketchup in the cupboard or the fridge for you.

Bit pointless when the bin lorry is clearly noisier.