Recycling and the vagaries between Councils.

My mother's local authority provided two large wheelie bins, one for rubbish and one for all recycling. They were emptied on alternate weeks and the simplicity of the system meant that everybody recycled.

Chestnut

I agree it's all pretty pointless while shops continue to sell drinks in plastic bottles. Especially water. Drinks manufacturers need to take responsibility for the damage they are doing.

We have to take responsibility for what we buy. If we didn't, they would soon change their ways.

Someone walking past put a used cigarette packet in our garden waste bin. It wasn’t emptied by the bin man but had an enormous Contaminated’ sticker placed on the front.
The man from the council could not have removed said packet, could he?

Would be interesting to see whether the areas with the most restrictive collection rules reflect this in lower CT charge since they may have a cheaper contract for disposal.

MrsKen33

Someone walking past put a used cigarette packet in our garden waste bin. It wasn’t emptied by the bin man but had an enormous Contaminated’ sticker placed on the front.
The man from the council could not have removed said packet, could he?

To be fair though, that isn’t his job is it? If he removed every incorrect item from every bin, where would he put them?

If it’s a garden waste bin lorry, then there would be nowhere to put a recycling item such as the cigarette packet.

I’ve no idea what the bin men are paid, but it’s not the most appealing job. Out in all weathers, very early starts, (soon after 6am with us), and handling bins that aren’t all as they should be.

I can sympathise with passers by chucking stuff in your bin though. Dog poo bags come to mind.

Up here the green bin is for general waste and the grey bin is for recycling. They only take paper, lightweight card, cans and plastic bottles (wonderful animation on the council website about what constitutes a bottle 🤣) No glass, no food waste and garden waste (strictly not kitchen waste) is extra.
When my daughter stays I have to police the bins because, in every council she’s lived since leaving home, glass, kitchen waste and most plastic has been recycled so she automatically pops it in the bin. (She recycles in green and puts waste in grey which is more logical than our council policy)

Our local council contract used to be
a) general rubbish
b) paper (not card)
c) plastics, glass, tin cans and card
d) garden/floral and uncooked vegetable type waste.
It was easy. One week they collected general waste and the next week everything else.

They have changed contracts to one which generates more income for the council and which costs less (they say).

It is very much more complicated though and involves many more separate containers. It also involves a bag for cardboard which is very hard to deal with. There is no help for the elderly and infirm in the flattening of boxes and manipulating them into the enormous-but-still-too-small bag. Lots of people have to leave then out in the hope of rain when they'll be soggy enough to fold!
I spoke to the council about the new system and they said they have found less overall recycling but of "better quality" so worth more.
The "general waste" goes to an incinerator to generate energy.

I expect lots of councils are having this debate.

And @winterwhite - we have one of the highest council charges. Apparently kerbside recycling of glass and “non-bottle” plastic (🙄) is too expensive. It’s more environmentally friendly to use a car to take it several miles to the recycling centre 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have three bins in my kitchen, one for general rubbish, one for hard plastics, bottles, tins, paper and card which all go in the same wheelie bin in my Council. Then I have a soft plastics bin and take that to M&S or the local Co-op where there are collection bins.

I bring home recycling from my sister's, as her Council doesn't take some items. We are trying to be responsible citizens, but until the big companies stop using some containers and packaging the problems won't be resolved.

Far too many companies have 'Not yet recyclable' or 'Do not recycle at home' on their packaging.