Metropol

Er...why all this fuss about fortnightly bin collections? We've had this system for a few years now where I live (under Broxtowe Borough Council), and there's no issue with piles of rubbish on the streets or vermin or the Plague or whatever is supposed to happen as a result of alternating bin collections.

We have two wheelie bins; one black, one with a green lid. All your skanky rubbish goes into the black bin, things that are able to be recycled (as defined clearly on a leaflet) go in the green bin. All very simple. So long as your lid is down - our black bin has never overflowed, although sometimes the green bin requires a bit of squashing in order to fit a last empty cereal box in before collection day - there is no problem.

Also, between March and October, the council will collect garden waste the day after the green bin is emptied. You can put your garden waste into the green bin, or if you want, you can get a brown lidded bin for the purpose. Or you can do it the old way and take a trip to the 'tip' (which, as you may remember, is next door to the headquarters of Boots, along with a sewage plant - think about that next time you use their Botanics range ).

They're currently considering a glass collection, after a trial last year.

Do I have an exceptionally good local council or something? Because I really don't see how fortnightly bin collections mean the end of life as we know it. So you have to wash out the occasional margerine tub...so what?

Chip-in-bins, however, are a different matter...

We haven't even got Wheely bins in my area yet, so if any new scheme came in, they wouldn't introduce it until 10 years after everyone else

Well we as a family have got use to it since it came into effect in Feb now, all cardboard packaging immediatly gets put into the correct bin. We did moan at the start, but you just get use to it.

Andrew wrote:We haven't even got Wheely bins in my area yet, so if any new scheme came in, they wouldn't introduce it until 10 years after everyone else

We've had wheelie bins in Northern Ireland since 1982, so it's rather more than 10 years late.

Now I have 3 wheelie bins, for general waste, dry recyclables (excluding glass which I have to take to the recycling centre) and a garden/compostable waste bin.

We still have weekly collections of the general waste, with the other two in alternate weeks. I would think that they'll change to a fortnightly collection of general waste soon. This is not a problem. If the average family of four is filling a large black wheelie bin per week they are producing far too much waste.

I don't have a problem with reclycling. I'm all for it!

What I do have a problem with is the situation we have with central government taking money from local councils for a "landfill tax". That is money we gave them in Council Tax which is towards local services, and they then take back as another tax.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Gordon Brown's illusion of a successful economy is falling apart around him. I hope it happens before he becomes PM.

StuartPlymouth wrote:I don't have a problem with reclycling. I'm all for it!

What I do have a problem with is the situation we have with central government taking money from local councils for a "landfill tax". That is money we gave them in Council Tax which is towards local services, and they then take back as another tax.

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Gordon Brown's illusion of a successful economy is falling apart around him. I hope it happens before he becomes PM.

Not really Stuart.

The aim of the landfill tax is to get the local councils to cut down the level of landfill; which it does. Why else would a council press ahead with unpopular (but entirely correct) recycling schemes.

The idea of charging residents when they produce too much waste ('chip and bin') is along the same lines. Why should those producing more rubbish and recycling less not pay for it. They presumably paid more for all of the items in the first place - why not to dump them?

Local councils still receive the majority of their funding (around 75%) from central government, so shouldn't consider bleating on about this.

Andrew wrote:We haven't even got Wheely bins in my area yet, so if any new scheme came in, they wouldn't introduce it until 10 years after everyone else

Same with LB Redbridge, other surrounding local London Boroughs have recycling wheelie bins & small containers, Redbridge has just got round to introducing the small containers five years ago, just another five year wait for the wheelie bins then :roll:

Ant wrote:A brief post - sadly I think it looks like Alex Sammond and the SNP will win the Scottish Parliament elections this week. Although it'll be interesting to see what happens with this 2010 referendum.

Interesting, well if they do go for Scottish Independance & the majority of Scots vote for it, what does it mean for Scots living in the remainder of the UK

Apologies if I'm being a bit thick at this point

nodnirG kraM wrote:What's the idea behind chip-in-bin?

You are charged by the weight of the rubbish in your bin. So if you hate your neighbour simply put bricks in it after they've gone to work on the collection day!

Just made my mark.

Me as well.