Storing Materials and Waste
Do not use your allotment plot to store materials. It reduces the area available for cultivation and can pose a hazard to yourself and others. Please only bring materials onto your plot if you intend to use them immediately and, if necessary, store them safely and tidily.
We will write to tenants who are storing excessive amounts of materials on their plot. By law we can recover the cost of removing excessive waste materials from a plot either during or at the end of a tenancy. Remember you must not bring rubbish on site.
Waste Disposal
When you take on a plot you may find rubbish and other debris on it. We ask if you can therefore remove and dispose of it carefully. Many materials can be taken to the local recycling centre.
Occasionally, there may be a skip available on site for the disposal of bulky materials. Please be considerate when filling skips so that all of the tenants can benefit from them. It is an offence to leave waste materials in a communal location where a skip has previously been sited or in expectation of a skip. Any rubbish left when a skip is removed will be treated as fly-tipping.
Asbestos
Asbestos was once a common building material and the majority of asbestos found on allotments is in the form of asbestos sheeting used for sheds/buildings and their roofs.
Provided the structures are of sound construction and are in good condition, there is no need to remove them and you can continue to use them safely. Do not hammer or drill into the structures as this could cause the release of asbestos fibres. It is the inhalation of these minute fibres which is harmful to health.
Removing Asbestos
If you have any concerns about asbestos, please contact us on 01228 817243. It is vital that the material is correctly identified prior to removal and disposal, and on no account should you remove structures.
Occasionally, you might find small amounts of asbestos loose on the plot. When you come across undamaged pieces of asbestos such as corrugated sheeting or pipes, the following guidelines will help you deal with them safely and effectively:
- Clearly identify whether the material is asbestos and of which type. If in doubt, ask.
- Handle only solid and unbroken pieces of asbestos. Do not break or damage when handling.
- Dampen the asbestos with water to reduce the risk of fibres being released if damaged.
- Wear protective gloves and a dust mask.
- Double bag the asbestos using fully sealed plastic bags and seal with tape.
- Remove from the site carefully and take to a Council waste recycling facility for safe disposal.
Assessing Risk
Health and safety on allotments is everyone’s responsibility and as a tenant you need to make sure that your plot is as safe as possible for everyone. Tenants have a duty of care to anyone on their plot. We may also enforce action to remove health and safety concerns. When thinking about hazards you need to look at the potential risks to yourself, your family, co-workers, visitors to your plot, intruders (including children) and wildlife.
Hazards and Risks
To assess dangers on your plot you must first identify hazards that have the potential to cause harm. Some common hazards are: buildings, fire, hazardous materials, (asbestos, combustibles, refuse, scrap metal, glass, chemicals, manure, compost etc.), trees, vegetation, ponds, water, fences and vermin.
Once you have a list of hazards you need to look at potential risks. Risk is the likelihood that the harm from a hazard will happen (e.g. a sharp blade concealed in overgrown grass is more likely to cause harm than on stored away in a locked shed).
You need to identify risks as potentially being “high”, “medium” or “low”. High risks must be removed immediately before removing or minimising any medium risks.