Can you dump food waste in ATM bins meant for receipts?

“Genuine question lang, yung trash bin ba sa gilid ng ATM is intended for receipts?” the user wrote.

The user said they had to hold their breath for nearly two minutes while making a withdrawal because of the sour smell inside the enclosed space, which they attributed to the leftover food in the bin.

The post drew mixed reactions, with some netizens pointing to the lack of public trash bins as a reason people use whatever disposal facilities are available.

“With the lack of bins unfortunately, I can’t blame them for disposing their rubbish there if it was the only one available in the vicinity,” one commenter wrote, adding that they sometimes had to carry their trash home because of the limited number of public bins.

Another commenter argued that using an available trash bin was preferable to littering.

“Supposedly, in a first world mindset, yung trashcan of a business are intended for trash of the business and its clients, pero andito tayo sa pinas na kulang na kulang ang public trashcan so I think this is better than letting that trash be in canals or roads,” the commenter wrote.

“Wala naman siguro problem, as long as natapon sa basurahan. Kesa naman nailapag lang diyan kung saan-saan,” another user said.

However, one commenter dismissed the complaint, writing, “jusko baks liit ng problema mo, pati basurahan ginagawa mo big deal. oh ayan napansin ka, papansin masyado.”

Under Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, littering and dumping waste in public places are prohibited. Presidential Decree No. 825 also penalizes littering in public places and addresses the proper disposal of garbage.

Neither law specifically prohibits placing food waste in an ATM trash bin. Whether the act violates a particular rule depends on the circumstances and any applicable local ordinances.

The discussion reflects differing views on public waste disposal amid the limited availability of trash bins. It also raises questions about sanitation and the maintenance of shared facilities such as ATM cubicles.

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