Why are there no waste bins on public transport? [closed]

I have frequently noticed that public transport vehicles do not have waste bins inside. Instead, those are located on the stations. This seems to be the case in all the German cities I have visited for buses, trams, subways and commuter railway (S-Bahn), like Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and others, but also for the London underground, the BART and cable car in San Francisco or the underground in Barcelona and Milan.

Why is this the case?

Best Answer

In London, at least, it is a security issue. On 18 Feb 1991, an IRA bomb exploded in a bin in Victoria Station, killing one person and injuring 38. As the Wikipedia article on bombings during the Troubles goes on to note:

Since that time, there have been no litter bins anywhere on the station platform.

However, as The Londonist noted in 2011,

Bins Are Back On The Underground [...] A new bid to tidy up the tube has now seen a 25% increase in the number of rubbish receptacles available across the network.

It's not clear to me how a 25% increase in nothing at all is helpful, so I'm interpreting this as "bins have been very slowly making their way back onto London's public transport premises, and the rate of deployment has recently increased".

However, I suspect it'll be a while before you can rely on finding a bin on a station platform; probably best to put your rubbish in your pocket, and bin it once you get out on the street.

Pictures about "Why are there no waste bins on public transport? [closed]"

Why are there no waste bins on public transport? [closed] - Time Lapse Photography of Train

Why are there no waste bins on public transport? [closed] - Focus Photo of Yellow Paper Near Trash Can

Why are there no waste bins on public transport? [closed] - Grayscale Photography of People Standing Near Train

Why are there no public bins in London?

As the City of London told us: "Public bins were removed from the City of London following the 1993 bombing". This is referring to when the IRA blew up a truck on Bishopsgate, killing one and injuring 44. No bin was actually involved in the bombing.

Why are there no public bins in Japan?

Public waste bins and garbage cans were largely removed from Japanese cities following the 1995 sarin gas attacks, forcing residents to adopt some of the world's more disciplined waste disposal techniques.

Why should bins have lids?

Middle of summer where there are possible flies, lids reduces the flies around the bins especially in a kitchen.

We Have No Garbage Day in Amsterdam!

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Tim Douglas, Vlad Chețan, Steve Johnson, Rodrigo Santos