Weekly black bin collections ruled out (From Bucks Free Press)
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Weekly black bin collections ruled out
7:56pm Tuesday 20th July 2010
I read with great disappointment the news article on this site yesterday entitled ”Weekly bin collections will not return, councils say”.
Apparently our local councils are refusing to re-introduce weekly bin collections against the proposals of central Government.
Lots of townspeople were looking forward to the reinstatement of weekly black bin collections and no doubt they feel let down by the news that it isn't going to happen.
The only change likely to happen to refuse collections in Wycombe is the introduction of a kerbside glass collection that may start in autumn next year.
When I look at the plethora of bins and boxes handed out to me for recycling it amazes me that such a simple exercise could be made so complicated.
If glass recycling is introduced we may be getting yet another infernal recycling box bringing the total to five.
It's bad enough now with so many bins, boxes and tubs going out on the kerb. Only the other week I walked out of my gate and fell over a box put out by my neighbour.
I am surprised that health and safety allows for the boxes on the pavements after all they are merely trip hazards.
Why do we have to have five separate receptacles for recycling? Surely it could all be done with just one?
Aylesbury council can manage to do all the recycling schemes and still maintain a weekly black bin collection so why can't Wycombe manage to do the same? Perhaps we should invite a proper council like Aylesbury to take over the running of services in Wycombe?
Since changing the recycling dates earlier in the year to unify the normal waste and recycling collections the amount of recycling put out in my area has dropped off significantly.
Where recycling is put out I have even seen the normal dustmen put it into the cart collecting for landfill.
It just goes to show how poor the services are in Wycombe as apparently the powers that be can even make a mess of collecting the rubbish.
With no guarantee that my recycling will even be put in the right dustcart I have abandoned the kerbside scheme in favour of taking my waste to a recycling point. At least I know the waste was recycled.
While emphasis is put on collecting glass, paper, plastic and food waste it amazes me there is no service to take away metal items.
Collecting fridges, washing machines and scrap metal is still the realm of the rag and bone man who makes regular visit to some parts of town.
With scrap metal fetching fairly good prices surely the powers the be need to jump on the band wagon and start their own free collection scheme for such items. If two gypsy's with a van and bell can do it surely its not beyond the capability of an organised body like a Council?
From what I can see the resistance to reintroduce weekly black bin collections is merely a way of snubbing the hard working, tax paying members of local community. It's just not good enough.
What do you think?
Comments(17)
Morag
says...
10:47am Wed 21 Jul 10
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Our elderly neighbour, who hasn't completely embraced the idea of recycling, shares our black bin as it saves having to put his own out on collection day. We still only half fill it between us in two weeks.
~
How can you have so much rubbish?
demoness
says...
1:02pm Wed 21 Jul 10
"Where recycling is put out I have even seen the normal dustmen put it into the cart collecting for landfill"
Oh come on... do you really think they are going to go to all that effort to take stuff they don't need to?
They won't even take extra normal rubbish so of course they won't take the stuff in the boxes..
Don't exagerate to try and proof your point - it just makes you look less credible.
wannabeasamurai
says...
4:24pm Wed 21 Jul 10
As for recycling, we have two boxes for paper/card and cans/plastic. How come Ivor seems to get extra services?
However, it could be more efficient. Ealing collect a whole range of items for recycling, all of which should be seperated, but are all placed in one bin. A second fox-proof bin is used for all food waste. No black wheelie bins though!
ivor
says...
10:46pm Wed 21 Jul 10
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There is noting difficult about sorting the stuff into different boxes. The problem is that there are simply too many boxes! Al these boxes take up space on my property and on the pavement when it is collection day.
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Surely we could just have one box and the powers the be could invent a machine to sort it all out?
~
But my black bin is usually full. The food comes with so much packaging and being hungry most of the time I get through a lot of food between bin collections.
~
If only I could get my weight problem under control then as you say the amount of packaging would decrease however I would probably fill the spare capacity in the bin by clearing some unwanted things out from my home or with garden waste.
ivor
says...
10:46pm Wed 21 Jul 10
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Yes, I usually fill the best part of a bin. It's the packaging on the food that takes up all the room.
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Maybe I should do a rubbish audit and see if I can cut down....
ivor
says...
10:46pm Wed 21 Jul 10
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But the bin men just come along and take everything. I have seen it happen.
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People have put cardboard boxes out full of paper and the bin men just throw it in with the wheelie bins.
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I can assure you that there is no loss of credibility on my part....
ivor
says...
10:47pm Wed 21 Jul 10
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Some people leave their bins out on the pavement all the time. I guess it removes the worry of having to work out when the collection day is....
~
Yes, there are two boxes for paper/card and cans/plastic and then there are two bins green and black. That is four boxes/bins in total. A glass box will make five.... That's just too many in my opinion.
~
As you say all the waste could be put in one bin and a machine could sort it out. Far more efficient and cheaper because the Council did nto have to spend out for so many boxes. Trust Wycombe to be inefficient....
Morag
says...
6:51pm Fri 23 Jul 10
ivor wrote:Ivor, I wish you would do a blog showing all the rubbish you accumulate in a week, with accompanying photographs, of course.
Re the comments of Morag at 10:47am ~ Yes, I usually fill the best part of a bin. It's the packaging on the food that takes up all the room. ~ Maybe I should do a rubbish audit and see if I can cut down....
~
I would be fascinated to see a list of all the excess packaging you collect - I am sure it would be an eye-opener.
~
If you are lucky, maybe your readers will be able to offer tips on how you can cut down ..............
ivor
says...
4:45am Sat 24 Jul 10
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If I did a blog showing all the rubbish I accumulate in a week it certainly would be a big blog!
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The excess packaging it a nightmare. Why do the manufacturers use so much?
~
I would welcome any tips from the readers on how I could cut down however I feel that it would be unwise to reduce the amount of food I eat suddenly as it would be safer to cur down gently.
Morag
says...
9:46am Sat 24 Jul 10
ivor wrote:I actually meant cut down on the amount of packaging you accumulate not the food you eat! I think you will diet in your own fashion, won't you?
Re the comments of Morag at 6:51pm ~ If I did a blog showing all the rubbish I accumulate in a week it certainly would be a big blog! ~ The excess packaging it a nightmare. Why do the manufacturers use so much? ~ I would welcome any tips from the readers on how I could cut down however I feel that it would be unwise to reduce the amount of food I eat suddenly as it would be safer to cur down gently.
~
Maybe we can help you make better choices in what you buy so it would save money and have less packaging? I just thought it must be difficult to stay well informed if you have no-one to help you and no television.
~
A rubbish blog on excess packaging?!
tom.marlow
says...
11:32am Sat 24 Jul 10
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We get a veg box delivered. It comes in a returnable cardboard box. Most of the contents are loose or are in compostible paper or cardboard. Anything in a plastic bag (salad leaves) you just return the plastic with the box.
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Bread from the bakerrs comes in a paper bag - on the compost heap.
.
Meat from the butchers comes in a plastic bag (rather than supermarkets style rigid plastic) so takes up virtually no space in the bin.
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We only drink wine :-) so recylable glass bottles.
.
My recommendation is to become a Guardian reader - not only do you acquire a much "greener" lifestyle, but you get to feel pretty smug about it too
Morag
says...
11:58am Sat 24 Jul 10
tom.marlow wrote:Oh dear, I don't have a veg box, I don't shop at the bakers, I don't shop at the butchers (ooh, I do drink wine), I don't read the Guardian and I have a weekly supermarket delivery.
Simplest way to not accumulate food packaging is to minimise your use of supermarkets. . We get a veg box delivered. It comes in a returnable cardboard box. Most of the contents are loose or are in compostible paper or cardboard. Anything in a plastic bag (salad leaves) you just return the plastic with the box. . Bread from the bakerrs comes in a paper bag - on the compost heap. . Meat from the butchers comes in a plastic bag (rather than supermarkets style rigid plastic) so takes up virtually no space in the bin. . We only drink wine :-) so recylable glass bottles. . My recommendation is to become a Guardian reader - not only do you acquire a much "greener" lifestyle, but you get to feel pretty smug about it too
~
Is there any hope for me? Mind you, as I said earlier, we usually only half- fill the black bin in two weeks.
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I am much too afraid to divulge which supermarket I use and which newspaper I read. No smugness for me, just a terrible feeling of guilt at letting the side down.
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No need for Ivor to write another rubbish recycling blog now ....... sorry Ivor.
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How about a blog on all the young people who have just finished their education and want to find work in this area?
ivor
says...
2:21am Mon 26 Jul 10
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The only way to cut down on the amount of packaging is to buy less food and therefore eat less!
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Indeed it can be difficult to keep abreast of things without anyone to help and without TV however I find the internet keeps me well informed....
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I may do another rubbish blog soon....
ivor
says...
2:22am Mon 26 Jul 10
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As you say the supermarkets are the source of most of the unnecessary packaging.
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I never knew the veg boxes were returnable. Thank you for your comment I have learnt something new!
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Surely you must drink other things besides wine? If you drink wine all the time don't you get tipsy?
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I think I will stick to being a BFP reader!
ivor
says...
2:22am Mon 26 Jul 10
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Yes, a blog on the plight of the unemployed, especially the young, would be a good idea.
~
I will start doing some research on the topic....
faisal mahmood
says...
11:23pm Thu 5 Aug 10
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The perfect wife and mother, Rebecca runs a home, a bad temper and is working on her novel. She enjoys photography, playing the piano and likes almost anything that's out of fashion and uncool. She lives in Amersham with her husband and youngest child (aged ten). Her eldest, now 27, lives and works in Buckinghamshire.
tom.marlow says...
8:43am Wed 21 Jul 10
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I'd appreciate a glass collection too. We already have a crate in which we collect up glass and take it down to the bottle bank every few weeks. It would save that trip.
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Further, what is the point in the council coming to collect my black bin every week, when even after 2 weks it is rarely more than half full. We have 2 adults and 2 teenagers living here. If you, (claiming to live alone), produce anything like that quantity of black bin waste, then I think you need to be asking yourself some serious questions about your lifestyle.
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Lets face it, you claim to be seriously impecunious; but in order to generate black bin content, you have to buy stuff in the first place. You can solve 2 problems at once here. Buy less stuff and not only will you fill your black bin less frequently but you will be richer.