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Every week I recycle my cardboard, plastics, tins and glass etc. Well Im not about to take part in these recycling schemes any more - I have decided that it is a lot easier and less hassle just to chuck my household rubbish in the bin and not bother and heres the reason why.
I have been recycling for the past 2 years via the council blue box scheme. I do actually think recycling is important. Its supposed to be so easy than anyone can do it. You put your materials in the box and the council will come and pick it up. Well it started pretty much like that, but recycling now has turned into a nightmare.
Why is it not so straight forward? They want the cardboard and paper separated and in a plastic bag. The tin cans have to be immaculately washed out and the labels peeled off so that there is not a single bit of paper or food left on them. They will only take certain colour glass, again with the labels soaked off.
We expect to have to do SOME sorting...
As for plastics they will only take certain types of plastics and no lids or caps. Its absolutely mad. We expect to have to do SOME sorting, but not this level.
Each week my girlfriend and I have a bet to see what they will leave behind. As I said I'm all for recycling and helping save the environment, but these people want me to do their jobs for them and Im not about to comply.
Not only that but they leave a load of rubbish blowing around the streets after they have been through picking up the blue bins. Whats the point?
I'm just going to put it all in the waste bin now because at least it doesnt whinge and moan at me and you can guarantee it will be picked up.
By: Simmy276
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The subject of Simmy276's gripe is familiar and an example of residents being expected to act for the convenience of a local authority. Some of the residents in our small local area formed a group to look after our local interests, our group is now in an association of local groups in our town. The result is that we have a lot of residents who are able and willing to make the working lives of local councillors and senior local authority officials miserable if they ignore residents' needs. Those councillors and officials, having experienced the wrath of the residents on a number of occasions, now listen to us and act to solve problems that we bring to their attention. Get together with your neighbours and wave a big stick at the lazy and incompetent in local authorities,you may be surprised at the result.
10/05/11 Edgar
-13
HOTDB, pigs have always eaten food leftovers! It's their traditional diet, ask any old farmer.
09/05/11 grumpyoldwoman
-1
Local Government is a total disaster in Britain, It's run by local government officers who do very little for their huge salaries. The ones at the top are the very worst. They do literally nothing but spend their time in tea and biscuit club "meetings", at which discuss or decide very little.
Recycling in our Borough is a disaster. They have failed to provide the right type of bins for the job. They failed to produce a proper policy of recycling for properties in multiple occupation. The result is that our street has been turned into a huge garbage wasteland ready for rag and bone people to descend upon our neighbourhood.
We have property in Portugal. Recycling there is managed properly, at vastly less cost. In the street we have four communal bins, not 30 yards from our entrance. They are clean and pleasant to look at: glass, plastic, paper and general waste. There are also special bins for coke and beer cans, plastic water bottles and cooking oil.
Our borough wants us to recycle food waste, presmably to feed pigs. I will now refuse ever again to buy local British bacon or pork, as the end result of this policy must be disgusting. These poor animals eat stale food rubbish, and we then eat them: yuk!!
Please privatise this aspect of Local Government immediately, as they seem to be incapable of carrying out their duty properly.
08/05/11 Hand Out the Doggy Bags
Recycling in our Borough is a disaster. They have failed to provide the right type of bins for the job. They failed to produce a proper policy of recycling for properties in multiple occupation. The result is that our street has been turned into a huge garbage wasteland ready for rag and bone people to descend upon our neighbourhood.
We have property in Portugal. Recycling there is managed properly, at vastly less cost. In the street we have four communal bins, not 30 yards from our entrance. They are clean and pleasant to look at: glass, plastic, paper and general waste. There are also special bins for coke and beer cans, plastic water bottles and cooking oil.
Our borough wants us to recycle food waste, presmably to feed pigs. I will now refuse ever again to buy local British bacon or pork, as the end result of this policy must be disgusting. These poor animals eat stale food rubbish, and we then eat them: yuk!!
Please privatise this aspect of Local Government immediately, as they seem to be incapable of carrying out their duty properly.
-9
Cindy, may I just point out to you that carbon,is what we're all made of,not a harmful gas.
28/04/11 DSG
-4
"Councils, like governments, are voted in to make our lives better. "
This is the great deception and what they would like you to believe. Unfortunately the system is simply in place to collect revenue for the Queen, banking elite and some of their chosen brown nosed chums.
We are simply collateral and basically drones who are there to work and be taxed, hopefully in to an early grave!
17/09/10 Bexter
This is the great deception and what they would like you to believe. Unfortunately the system is simply in place to collect revenue for the Queen, banking elite and some of their chosen brown nosed chums.
We are simply collateral and basically drones who are there to work and be taxed, hopefully in to an early grave!
-8
Can we ask for a refund if we pay for the council to do this and then have to do it ourselves? Councils, like governments, are voted in to make our lives better. This is not happening in this case. I know my council is going to come back to me to tell me how good the people who live abroad are for doing their bit for recycling. The point is they don't pay council tax, nor do they have most of the rest of all the swingeing taxes that we are expected to pay. We work longer hours, can't afford to retire and every time we get our wages, there is a long, long line of vultures waiting to take it off us. If anybody thinks we are not now enslaved, they had better wake up soon. I've lived abroad and I know that everybody has more money and time to enjoy life than we have.
17/09/10 Anna
-11
Just thougth maybe we need to bring taking bottles back to the shops and get about 10p on a can all bottle I see it work in finland there would not be so much rubish on the road because chirlden know there get some cash back is help finland roads
09/08/10 Clare Mcvety
-18
See if you saved all your tin cans , bottles , cardboard and recycle plastics you could
Pay your council tax with it
07/08/10 Doggie
Pay your council tax with it
-7
Thank u people's voice u got it spot on they make millions of £ from us it's amazing how India and third world country's recycle everything it is your fault for letting them do it to you
See here why clean tin cans and bottles when they all will end up huuuuuge fire . So ask your self who is the (biggest F ) U are
07/08/10 Doggie
See here why clean tin cans and bottles when they all will end up huuuuuge fire . So ask your self who is the (biggest F ) U are
-7
I am all for recycling, but I resent paying my council tax and then have to spend a lot of my precious time sorting it into seperate bags. I suggest that instead of " comunity service " these offenders should be made sort out the items for recycling, in other words the general public put anything to be recycled into one container, then these offenders start work from 8-00 am until 4-30 pm daily including weekends sorting items for recycling. This then makes them get up earlly each morning and stops them being out late at night and re-offending. It also may give them the mindset that if they have to do this then they might as well get a proper job and hey suddenly they are getting back on course.
07/11/09 Les
9
I would double check your facts. Recycling is not as difficult as you are making it sound. When cleaning for food contamination, just pop the recyclables in the washing machine along with your dishes. This is easier and better for the environment than washing by hand.
Depending on the recycling services provided in your city, yes, some recyclables may not be taken. But all it takes is one phone call to find out what is recyclable. Perhaps you should make a list of what can be recycled so you will not damn the initiative so quickly when you forget.
And in some places, the recycling services offered do not come to your home so you have to drive to do it yourself. (We do this in my home and without complaints.) be happy that you have a bin.
My biggest complaint to you and many other people like you regards your laziness. You could prevent a ton of carbon from entering our atmosphere just by taking an extra 10 minutes a day to clean your recycling. I think easy to you means that there will be someone to do it all for you. You could also work to improve the recycling services offered in your area by writing a letter to your local representative. If the services are inadequate, do something about it. People who say things are too hard and do nothing leave only a dirty imprint on the world, and for more reasons than just pollution.
23/06/09 Cindy
Depending on the recycling services provided in your city, yes, some recyclables may not be taken. But all it takes is one phone call to find out what is recyclable. Perhaps you should make a list of what can be recycled so you will not damn the initiative so quickly when you forget.
And in some places, the recycling services offered do not come to your home so you have to drive to do it yourself. (We do this in my home and without complaints.) be happy that you have a bin.
My biggest complaint to you and many other people like you regards your laziness. You could prevent a ton of carbon from entering our atmosphere just by taking an extra 10 minutes a day to clean your recycling. I think easy to you means that there will be someone to do it all for you. You could also work to improve the recycling services offered in your area by writing a letter to your local representative. If the services are inadequate, do something about it. People who say things are too hard and do nothing leave only a dirty imprint on the world, and for more reasons than just pollution.
-36
In my local area in the Midlands we do no recycle cardboard or tins. You take the bottles to the bank at a Tesco. Failing that they go in the bin liner.
Garden cuttings and paper is all that we recycle. There is a refuse site but it's 18 miles one way. No one is going to drive there so, all cardboard and tins are thrown in the black bin liner into the bin itself.
This is a good system and very easy.
27/03/09 Reg D
Garden cuttings and paper is all that we recycle. There is a refuse site but it's 18 miles one way. No one is going to drive there so, all cardboard and tins are thrown in the black bin liner into the bin itself.
This is a good system and very easy.
-15
Well said Simmy,
These types of messages need to hit home with the local authorities as them achieving joined up thinking, and having a basic understanding of how people work, might make a big difference to the environment.
25/03/09 Sophsweet
These types of messages need to hit home with the local authorities as them achieving joined up thinking, and having a basic understanding of how people work, might make a big difference to the environment.
-6
Quite true, quite true. I live in Canada and currently my once spotlessly beautiful street is now being defaced as the damn garbage men only pick up certain things and if you put something that is not on their list, woe betide as not only will they not pick it up, but it seems they toss it onto the street! I personally have seen them do this on numerous occasions and most of the time they just toss the entire bin off the truck and let it roll down the street. Often I wish to run out, sneak aboard their truck and cut off their air supply. It is absolutely disgusting to see newspapers, candy wrappers, huge rotting cardboard and even the occasional bag of cat litter washed up on our lawns. It's funny that those who are supposed to keep our street clean have switched sides and decided to deface it instead. Simmy276, I completely agree with what you are doing and I may be the most environmentally aware person in my school!
10/02/09 13 year old Garbage Man Hater
-4
ahforfoulkessake
I work as a refuse collector and I find it equally frustrating when I'm out on my rounds to have to separate recycling when they've been mixed up in one bin when residents have two to use as the recycling truck has two hoppers to crush them one for plastic and tins the other for paper and cardboard.
Not having a dig at residents it just makes the refuse collectors who also pay council tax ourselves on not huge wages either a bit easier if recycling is done as the items are used.