TV , MEDIA AND NEWSPAPERS

[Mid A 15]

It seems that much of this bin nonsense is connected to the EU surprise, surprise.

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... bbish.html

And does it all really get recycled anyway?

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... cking.html

[sejintenej]

I''m not looking forward to when my current employers are making us have the following:
1. wheelie bin for non recyclables
2. Paper and card box
3. Plastics and glass box
4. Tins and metal box
5. Cooked food waste
6. Non cooked food waste
7. (optional!!) garden waste wheelie bin

Given the personal attacks like identity theft we are careful about what paper we put out. The council has now banned us from putting shredded paper ()which is almost all of it) in the paper bin.
I also dislike the fact that they will be forcing you to give them your kitchen uncooked waste instead of you putting it in the compost bin which they sold to you a few years ago; this enables them to charge £3 or so for your own unhcooked vegetable waste on top of putting up the collection cost..

[lonelymom]

I also dislike the fact that they will be forcing you to give them your kitchen uncooked waste instead of you putting it in the compost bin which they sold to you a few years ago; this enables them to charge £3 or so for your own unhcooked vegetable waste on top of putting up the collection cost..

Are they? We're still putting most of our food waste into the compost bin, only things like bones are going into our food recycling bin. Actually the dog gets most of our cooked food waste, so we've only managed to fill one of those little bio-degradeable bags in 3 weeks.

[kerrensimmonds]

Don't forget that you are talking about Kent and (I think...) David is talking about France. Which is right?!
I now live in a retirement complex - on the South Coast - where there are three sets of bins down in the garage compound, so I have to drive my bags down there!.... One is for normal rubbish (every week), one for recyclables (every other week) and one for gardening rubbish (don't know yet, but suspect every other week). The silly thing is that I have to PAY for this, in my quarterly Service Charge. The bins are emptied by contractors, not the local Council. However, I am paying the next band up Council Tax on the house from which I moved in December - and I was downsizing! Council Tax covers all sorts of things, but includes rubbish collection. Can't get my head round this!

[sejintenej]

Don't forget that you are talking about Kent and (I think...) David is talking about France. Which is right?!

Not this time, Kerren; it was about Brentwood in Essex. My local part of France has a different and more effective (in % terms) recycling system which is far less complex.

I now live in a retirement complex - on the South Coast - where there are three sets of bins down in the garage compound, so I have to drive my bags down there!.... One is for normal rubbish (every week), one for recyclables (every other week) and one for gardening rubbish (don't know yet, but suspect every other week). The silly thing is that I have to PAY for this, in my quarterly Service Charge. The bins are emptied by contractors, not the local Council. However, I am paying the next band up Council Tax on the house from which I moved in December - and I was downsizing! Council Tax covers all sorts of things, but includes rubbish collection. Can't get my head round this!

Kerren; a couple of points. Rateable Value is usually reassessed whenever a property changes ownership. If, as owner, you do all sorts of good things to your property (even with all necessary Council approvals) they will not usualy reassess your property until you sell. (Labout intended to reassess every propertyu again a few years ago but this got dropped). It could be that your old property deserved to be put in a higher band. I suggest that you check the rateable value of similar neighbouring properties (the info is on the internet by address) and appeal if your value is higher than your neighbours Apparently a lot of appeals are successful, especially if you demonstrate the comparisons.

You also need to have words with the council as to why your bins are not collected by them and demand a rebate of the cost. (In fact many councils contract out the collection so perhaps it is actually the same contractor who is being double-paid.) Sometimes you can find sympathetic council officials to help you in cases like this.

[lonelymom]

Our food waste is now going to be collected weekly, our normal rubbish is now fortnightly instead of weekly and our recycleable rubbish is still fortnightly. However, as we hardly have any food waste to go into the shiny little black box (which looks remarkably like a cool box!), it isn't making that much of a difference to the quantity that goes into my normal rubbish bin, and yet it is only going to be collected half as often. I'm struggling, but probably not nearly as much as my neighbour who has twin babies in disposable nappies - it's not going to be pleasant in the summer!

[jhopgood]

What is it with the UK?
In the village we have daily collections, (except for Sundays) normally about 10.00pm, have a twice monthly collection of large items, beds, mattresses etc, and have a bottle, plastic and paper bank at the end of the village. Every village around here has the same. No wheelie bins, just put out the plastic bags. Dotted around the village are 4 larger bins, that attach to the rubbish lorry, and can be used if the rubbish is being put out early.
In Valencia, we have the same daily service, except that all rubbish has to be put in the larger bins. We also have the bottle banks etc.
An army of road sweepers is out daily in Valencia, although only twice a week in the village, and during the tourist season the beach is cleaned, almost before sun up.
There is another team in Valencia who cut the grass, prune the plants and keep the parks clean.
And I bet our rates are less than yours.
In Valencia, lots of the road cleaners have a small physical disability, which I assume is some way of giving them something paid to do.

[J.R.]

Mole Valley DC went over to fortnightly collections a couple of years ago.

Black bin 1st Friday. (general waste).
Green bin 2nd. Friday. (all re-cycleable).
Garden waste you have to pay for.

Food waste was introduced a few months ago and this is collected weekly, irrespective of which other bin is 'out.

The only problem is in the summer when the black bin can start to 'honk' after a few days in the hot weather, as does the food-waste bin.

[sejintenej]

Brentwood, Essex:
--general waste - every week
--recyclables, not glass - each fortnight, same day as ordinary waste; they supply ample plastic bags for recycling
--garden waste - each fortnight, same day as recyclables. You get a voucher which can be exchanged at thew Council Office for a set number of garden waste free bags. You can buy extra bags.
--glass; placed in plastic box (supplied) which is emptied fortnightly on same day as other recyclables
The day depends on your road (mine is Thursday am with up to 4 hours between glass and the last collection - general waste) and of course the timing changes at Xmas etc.

[midget]

North Devon

Monday, alternate weeks Black wheelybin General waste
Green wheely Garden waste (and I think this can include food, but we compost most food waste ourselves)

Wednesday every week Recyclables Green box for glass and plastic bottles and food cans
Green bag for paper waste
Brown bag for cardboard

[englishangel]

WTH
Chiltern District: well some of it.

Alternate weeks: big black wheelie bin for non-recycleables and black box for paper (including window envelopes) and cardboard.

Alternate weeks: Big green wheelie bin for anything organic. there is a pasteurising plant in High Wycombe and all organics are dried pulverised and pasteurised for compost. Once every four weeks glass is collected with the green waste.

In my garden I have another bin for plastics (1-4) and food and drink cans, in the kitchen I have a foil bag, and a plastic bag recycling bag. There is also a bag in a cupboard on the landing for any clothes/towels/sheets that are too far gone to go to Oxfam. All these can be taken to the recycling centre in the local carpark/supermarket carpark

Battteries, lightbulbs, metal, wood all go to the recycling at the dump.

Our 2 local dumps recycle 71% of everything taken there, and Chiltern has one of the highest recycling rates in the country.

[Great Plum]

Mole Valley DC went over to fortnightly collections a couple of years ago.

Black bin 1st Friday. (general waste).
Green bin 2nd. Friday. (all re-cycleable).
Garden waste you have to pay for.

Food waste was introduced a few months ago and this is collected weekly, irrespective of which other bin is 'out.

The only problem is in the summer when the black bin can start to 'honk' after a few days in the hot weather, as does the food-waste bin.

You can have a 'general recyclable' bin because Mole Valley have a recyling sorter thingy which sorts out all the recyclables. Reigate and Banstead don't and can't afford to get one so we have to do it ourselves apparently...

As for nappies - the sensible thing is to go down the route of reusable nappies - we bought Bum Genius ones for Josh which can be used from birth to potty training. These cost c.£250 for 20 and are still going strong now... (Certainly cheaper and stacks less waste!)

[englishangel]

and can be used for the next one!

[Chris Blewett]

I seem to remember months ago (or so it seems!) that the Government are going to force councils to re-instate the weekly collections? Presumably that means all bins emptied every week?

Mind you ....what they say and do... etc etc!!!

[Foureyes]

There was a good sketch on some recent comedy show. The pallbearers removed a coffin from the hearse and were carrying into the church when there was suddenly an urgent knocking from the inside. Considerably alarmed, they hastily laid the coffin on the ground and opened the lid, whereupon the "corpse" sat up and exclaimed "The dustbins, the dustbins! I forgot to put out the dustbins!"
At that one of the mourners stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, grandpa, I did them for you."
"Thank God for that," said the dear departed and lay down again, whereupon the pallbearers replaced the lid, lifted the coffin to their shoulders and recommenced their solemn progress into the church.
David