Garbage bins are a magnet for arsonists

Toronto’s curvy plastic trash bins are not just a functional disaster, they light up like a flare when set ablaze.

Regular readers of this column know that we are among the harshest critics of receptacles provided by Astral Out of Home as part of its street furniture city contract.

Soon after they were rolled out in 2007, it was apparent that the stylish bins couldn’t take the wear and tear of constant use in areas with high pedestrian traffic.

But their vulnerability to combustion was apparent last week, when we came across the crispy remains of a bin that had been set on fire at the southwest corner of Ellesmere and Markham Rds.

All that was left was the metal frame, with a puddle of hardened plastic heaped around the base. But it didn’t stop people from tossing more garbage onto the remains of the bin. We’ve come across several others that were similarly torched.

Unlike a metal receptacle, the plastic bins easily catch fire and disintegrate, which had us wondering if it involves the hole in front where cigarette butts can be deposited or if it’s the handiwork of firebugs who have figured out that they easily ignite. Status: Ryan Lanyon, who’s in charge of city street furniture, emailed to confirm that “the most likely and common cause of a bin fire is arson; charges have been laid in the past. We typically have about two to three bins catch fire per month, or less than 0.3 per cent of the total each year. Lit cigarettes placed in the cigarette disposal should not create sufficient heat to combust the contents . . . We don’t anticipate that the new metal bins will withstand any better than the original plastic ones.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or email jlakey@thestar.ca.