Yucky yards

Living in a tip, and happy as a pig in a poke? Here are the hazards you face.

Rubbish

Whether we're talking about a 100-foot walled garden ('yeah, right') or a scabby bit of concrete where cats come to wee and fight at night ('uh huh'), most homes have a place outside to store the rubbish for the week. Even if you're six floors high, and sorted with a chute, it's important to treat your trash with some respect. Because if you chuck it out in tissue-thin bags, or even no bags at all, all that unwanted stuff will quickly bite back.

Vermin are the main risk here, from rats to flies, pigeons and foxes. Many carry nasty diseases too, and often return for more if your hovel spills onto the street on a regular basis. Then there's the bacteria, the maggots and the flies, but let's not go there now. Let's go to the hardware store instead.

Dealing with it

Bagging up your trash is one thing, but investing in a plastic refuse bin with a lid is a more effective way of discouraging feral feeding habits. If that's impractical because you're on the street or landing, or it just keeps getting nicked, then placing your bin bags in a cardboard box will provide just a little extra defence. In every case, tie off your bags properly, and if you're chucking meat away, or other bio-degradable foodstuff, then bung it in a carrier bag first to help contain the smell.