Where to Place Your Wheelie Bin Cover

So, you've bought yourself a great looking wheelie bin cover? But now you don't know where to put it? A wheelie bin cover is an awesome way to keep your garden looking nice and tidy, but where you're going to place that cover is another question. We're looking at the concerns you need to think about when placing your cover.

Concrete or Not?

One of your first questions should be whether you want to place your cover on concrete or on soil or grass. Concrete makes for a more stable surface and for that reason we wouldn't recommend putting your bin store on softer ground as the wood is more likely to twist or warp.

Grass and soil are much damper than concrete (unless your alleyway or pavement gets a lot of puddles). So if you're thinking about erecting your cover on a damp surface then you should probably also think about investing in a base, to keep it off that wet ground. Your cover will be more stable, and the wood will last longer if you do this.

Next to a Wall? Freestanding?

Another concern might be whether you place your cover next to a wall or leave it freestanding. Given that your cover is basically a box when it comes to protection it doesn't matter an awful lot which option your choose. However, you might want to think a little about stability.

Placing your cover next to a fixed wall will give it a little more protection against high winds, and therefore just make it more stable. However, you will need to make sure that there's a big enough gap between the wall and your cover to allow the lid to open properly.

Again, if you can fix your cover to the ground then this might not seem like too big of an issue, and it might not be. But if you live in a particularly windy area then you should probably consider placing your cover in the most sheltered area possible. Yes, your cover is sturdy and stable, but it's not completely indestructible!

Convenience

Of course, convenience needs to come into the equation as well. It's all very well placing your wheelie bin cover at the bottom of the garden against the fence, but remember that you're the one that's going to be walking all the way down there with rubbish bags! Keep in mind that you need to put bags into your bins relatively regularly, and you're probably not going to want to walk far to do it. This is another argument for having your cover somewhere protected, since you're not likely to want to get soaked or too cold when taking out the rubbish!

Bin Transport

Also, don't forget that you're going to need to roll those bins in and out of the cover once a week or so for rubbish day. And those bins have wheels. Why is that important? Well, wheels don't roll too well over damp, soggy ground, meaning that the closer you are to concrete the easier it's going to be to take the bins out. You'd be surprised just how many people forget this, installing their covers in dry summer months only to find that they can't get their bins to the curb once it starts to get rainy and muddy!

Space Issues

You've probably already thought about the footprint of your cover and where it will fit. But remember that you also need to have plenty of space for the front loading doors to open, and for a bin to be manoeuvred around those doors and placed inside. Ideally you should have a space that's large enough for the cover with it's doors open plus an extra fifty or so centimetres for convenience.

Accessibility to Others

It would be nice to live in a world that was perfect, but since we don't you do need to consider how accessible your wheelie bin cover and the bins inside it are to others. Placing your cover close to the road might be convenient for all kinds of reasons, and you might not mind too much if the odd passerby throws something away in your bin. But vandals do exist, and for some reason seem to love upending wheelie bins. If you choose to put your cover at the front of your property you might want to think about padlocking the front loading doors to prevent someone else taking bins out.

And if you live out in the country, you might be surprised at just how resourceful animals can be when it comes to getting inside bins. If this worries you then a lock on the front doors may help, as may a handy brick on top of the lid to stop critters opening it.

Where's the Ideal Place?

To sum up then, you're looking for a place that's fairly sheltered, conveniently close to your home for throwing things away, and close enough to a path to be able to wheel bins to the curb. You might not be able to find the absolute ideal location for your wheelie bin cover, in which case you'll need to compromise a little.

However, it's important to decide on location before you start setting up your cover. Once your cover is built it can be moved, but it's going to be heavy and more than a little awkward, so it's definitely best to build it as close to your desired location as possible!