settingsCouncils often have strict guidelines about how much frontage is required per bin or per dwelling, so you'd better know what those allowances are as part of your due diligence when buying a site. Otherwise your whole development might be put in jeopardy because you can't get the bins emptied each week.
But wait! There might be a get out of jail free card…
Rubbish Collection Services
An alternative to kerbside collection of rubbish is having a rubbish collection service just for your development. So once a week a truck comes onto the property, empties a big skip-type bin, and drives away again.
While this solves the small frontage issue (and many Councils make this type of collection mandatory for larger developments anyway), it introduces a whole new set of challenges. What size driveway are you going to need for the rubbish truck to have access? Where are the bins going to be kept for easy access by the truck? Is a reversing space required? Are there overhanging trees, both on your site or on the neighbour's property?
All of these challenges need to be resolved as part of the plans for the site, and the solutions may have a negative impact on how many dwellings you can fit on the site.
Storage Space
Whether you have individual wheelie bins for each dwelling or larger skip-type bins for larger developments, the bins need to have a place to call home. It's tempting to do rough calculations based on the size of each bin, rule off a section on the plan and leave it at that. But it's no good having a cavity where you can line up 4 wheelie bins in a row, with only the front one accessible. It's just too inconvenient for a householder who needs to put rubbish in the back bin.
Or you might end up with a situation where the bin has a place to live, but there's no room to wheel it out and turn it around so you can wheel it away in preparation for collection. Bins can get quite heavy when they're full, so manoeuvrability is important. You also don't want to wheel the bins coming out of storage on the side of a steep driveway, where the chances of a bin going rogue and taking off under its own steam are increased.