ABU DHABI // Complaints about large bins being left uncovered on busy roads, causing bad smells and blocking traffic have gone unanswered, according to residents.
Earlier this year, concerns were voiced that overflowing and open bins could pose a health risk.
The bins, especially those around Al Zahiya (formerly Tourist Club Area), in Hamdan Street, Al Falah Street and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Street, were a nuisance, said residents.
Naveen P R, an Indian who lives on Zayed The First Street, said the bins belonged to residential buildings and restaurants.
“It has become a routine to breathe in foul air as all foodstuff rots in the heat and spreads in the environment,” he said.
The situation was worse in the daytime, as the lids were open and nobody bothered to close them.
Mustapha Saeed, a Jordanian who lives on Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Street, said that when there was maintenance work on the pavements, the bins were moved on the roads.
If two cars tried to pass each other, the traffic came to a standstill, Mr Saeed said.
He said the building’s security guards placed the bins there to be picked up by waste collectors.
The Centre of Waste Management, Tadweer, in Abu Dhabi said bins belonging to commercial and residential buildings must be placed away from streets and parking bays “under the supervision of the building watchman or supervisor to avoid impeding the motion of traffic”.
It also said bins must only be placed outside during specific collection times.
“Building supervisors are required to transfer the waste to public bins for its collection to avoid possible pile-ups that may pose a threat to public safety,” Tadweer said.
It said bins and the surrounding area were frequently washed down and any waste containers with lids left open were closed by its staff.
“We don’t place our bins there,” said the manager of one restaurant in Al Zahiya.
“We empty them and bring back and do not leave them on the road.”
anwar@thenational.ae