Trip Up the Skip Dippers With These Four Tips to Prevent Rubbish Robbery

Unfortunately, even the rubbish your business produces isn't always safe from thieves. They may steal your garbage for their personal use, or in other cases, they may take documents so they can steal the identity of you, your employees or your clients. Luckily, there are ways to cut down on garbage theft.

If you want to prevent the rubbish in your skip bin from getting into the wrong hands, here are some ideas to consider:

1. Donate More

If you own a shop and you throw away old inventory or food, you are likely to get thieves who dig through your trash looking for valuables. The easiest way to deter these skip dippers is by not filling your skip with anything valuable.

Skilled dumpster divers can make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year with this illegal hobby, and if you don't want them diving in your bins, donate your old food to a food bank, list your old office equipment on a freebies website and donate old inventory to a charity shop.

2. Recycle More

Some bin bandits don't just want food and valuables. Instead, they dig through skips looking for recyclables to sell. If you don't want these people in your skip, make sure you are meticulous about recycling and that you don't put recyclable aluminum cans, cardboard, plastic bottles, scrap metal or paper in your skip.

3. Shred Personal Documents

In addition to recycling paper, you should also shred any important documents. If you want to protect yourself, your business, your employees and your clients, you shouldn't be putting their paycheck stubs, credit card receipts, old invoices or any other personal information in your bin.

Instead, invest in a shredder, and if possible, look for a shredder that cuts the paper in two directions so that it is virtually impossible to piece back together.

4. Lock Your Skip Bin

Keeping people out of your skip isn't just about preventing theft. It is also about protecting your liability. If someone dips into your skip and gets hurt while they are in there, they may be able to hold you financially liable for their injuries (even though their presence was unwanted).

To prevent garbage theft and protect yourself from a liability standpoint, consider building a locked fence around your skip bin hire. In some cases, you can also add locks to the skips so they are protected in the evening when you are not there.