How to prevent trash bins from falling by placing apart or side-by-side, on a windy day?

Question

How can you secure trash-bins at the end of a sloped driveway, on a windy day? Is side-by-side placement recommended to stabilize bins or should they remain apart as generally advised by sanitation company? Thanks!

Answer 1

Placing the bins close to each other has nothing to do with them tipping over or not. The reason they tip over is because of the relation of the "point of rotation" in its relation to the direction of wind.

When the "point of rotation" (the wheels) are placed on the leeward side, then it takes significantly less effort to rotate (tip over) the bins. So, if the bins can be rotated 180 degrees so the wheels are on the windward side, it will be much more difficult to tip the bins over, (because the fulcrum point is moved a couple of feet against the wind.)

Likewise, if the bin is set on a slope, it will be "more difficult" or "less difficult" depending on which side the point of rotation is placed in relation to the wind. So, if they won't let you rotate the bins, you could place a small object (like a wood block, etc.) under the wheels. This will move the center of gravity towards the wind and thus make it more difficult to tip the bin over.

Answer 2

According to my friend who is a medical doctor and mechanical engineer, the best way to position garbage-bins during a windy-day — without supporting materials to anchor — is to situate them side-by-side exactly as I've pictured in the posted-question; boundary conditions explain the stabilizing-effect achieved: a very large, single-file line of trash-bins will efficiently resist forces during windy-conditions and more effectively than if they were otherwise arranged spaced-apart.

Answer 3

In my area the problem with the sloped driveway is solved by simply placing the bins along the curbing to the side of the driveway. The roadway surface is typically sloped down a small amount toward the curb and this helps to keep the wheels of the bin squarely against the curb. This in my experience offers more support for the bin in high wind conditions by trying to place them directly adjacent with each other.

The negative factor with placing bins directly together is that the trash company driver will often bypass pickup at your location if you do this. And you can expect to get the bright orange warning sheet taped to your bin if you persist in doing this.