Forum Topic

Bank Holiday collections WON'T be a day late next week

Just in case you haven't noticed.  Don't get caught out!Please wedge your food waste bins against something so that they can't be dragged onto the pavement or street in the middle of the night - and make sure they are locked!

Philippa Bond ● 3448d16 Comments

My house is not suitable.  I use a small metal dustbin chained to a wall part hidden by a bush on a ledge just below street level.  I line it with a black sack and tip residual waste into it - which gives me more space than if I filled it with pedal bin bags. It is chained because I don't want the collectors to lift the bin out of position and to empty it by tipping it into the lorry and potentially dropping it in there.  The contents are light.If the house was divided into flats and I lived in the upper part I would have to chain a bin or bins to the wall at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door. Some people whose houses are divided into flats do this but it is difficult to make space and organise other flats to cooperate and separate into separate bins for waste and recycling and green boxes don't work too well as with several flats there is definitely not enough space for recycling when recycling exceeds residual waste. This might work if they used the see-through bags used for flats above shops instead of green boxes. This should have been thought of and provided for when the houses were divided into flats.  In some it will have been on the application for planning permission - if there was any - may not have been retained - but could possibly be rediscovered.I'd still want to use a food waste bin but this has to be placed well back on the last step or wedged so that the cunning foxes don't tip it over.  With weekly collections that could be shared and turns taken to clean it out!This would take cooperation of all residents and it i difficult enough to get that just with a family.

Philippa Bond ● 3442d

In quite a few places it's just not possible to put the bin out without blocking the footpath.A huge amount of Ealing residences are converted flats and small frontages. 4 big bins and it's almost impossible to move them anywhere. But add to that a pushchair, bike, wheelchair and it's blocking something. Thus they end up out on the pavement. Or it stays in situ and does not get emptied even if it is just a few feet from the boundary.Add steps to the equation and a full bin is not so easy if a little frail or stuck for space.As I've always said, it's Horses for Courses and the Wheelie bin is perfect in many circumstances. But equally it is not so when space is limited or human frailty is involved.This is partly solved by smaller bins but even they do not always solve issues.And, assisted collection, according to one officer, is only on certain terms and not always likely to be practicable.

Mark Kehoe ● 3442d

The sign saying when the collection is was something that the previous administration was considering as it is I understand what happens in Westminster.  It would also say what time you have to have your waste and recycling out.  Hopefully with time a routine will emerge.I agree that fortnightly makes it more difficult.  Many of us hardly ever put our recycling and waste out weekly but when we needed to with little worry as if it was missed or we missed it there would be another collection the next week to catch. So whoever it is who thinks they are controlling us and getting us to put out waste and recycling fortnightly can quite simply dream on!  What worries me most I think is that these bins are very difficult to move when empty let alone full and more people should be getting assisted collections as a result. I bet no-one factored that in.  Please don't let pride stop you from asking for this.  That this actually happens is something that neighbours should be able to watch out for.  Nobody should be being blocked in or out by the bins not being replaced where they will work for all.  Blocking a gate closed or open doesn't work!

Philippa Bond ● 3442d

I think the Council have made it clear that one should not put your wheelie bin out on the footpath/road - but as close as possible on your property to that boundary.  The operatives should the return your bin to the same place - seems to work reasonably well here in W13.What I would suggest is that the the mechanism for dealing with Bank Holidays should be the same all year round - and preferably the delayed option that will pick up those who put out a day early.But why not have, on a street by street basis, a little sign advising on when and which the next collection is due - like the Royal Mail post boxes...

Philip Coe ● 3442d

The problem is that for most people. A Bank Holiday is a Public Holiday intended for working people. So the last people one would expect to be grafting are those in non essential services and those who don't get much of a deal in their jobs.But more to the point, it is also when for most, the normal routine is not the norm.People go away, activities and events are held and other people come and visit.So I do question the wisdom of having a normal refuse collection especially with wheelie bins having to be repositioned for collections.From a personal security point of view, if you are going to be away for a few days, then this is a huge advert indicating your home is empty.Or if you do place the bin out ready and it is not returned properly it is also advertising the fact your place is empty and could be like that for days on end.These bins are quite prominent so easy for them to be clocked by those with intent.With less regular collections, this is impractical to miss a collection as the recycling bin in particular will be overflowing by 4 weeks.Plus we are used to over 40 years of no collections on Bank Holidays. Yes, People have always still put bins or bags out on those days, but they get collected a day later.But being a weekly thing, it was not such a problem.  If you go away now and time it wrong you could wait a month to get refuse cleared.So I think it should have been left as it was on the basis of if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.That said LBE did come and put things right today and swept up all the leaves as well.  And it's good to see that they are now responding in a more positive manner.

Mark Kehoe ● 3442d

Several weeks ago I had to call to the crew's attention a wheelie bin sitting very obviously just behind the gate on a back alley.  The suggestion was that the bin should be the other side of the gate but that would mean it would be on the pavement where it should NOT be.Sometimes it seems that there is not enough give and take on either side.

Philippa Bond ● 3442d

But we have been used to many years of collections being a day late after bank holidays. No doubt we will get used to this new method in time but my only communication came from the local Councillors ward facebook page but you cant expect everyone to be on that? i would have assumed that this aspect was unchanged. the only thing the council can do is to perhaps instruct their staff to be a little more flexible this week and perhaps take bis out from peoples front gardens.

Peter Chadburn ● 3443d

Website, twitter, facebook, leaflets, the council's own newsletter etc..And this isn't the first time this has happened as the previous bank holiday was the same, and we were told at the time this was the new regime.I'm not sure what else the council can do really.People need to keep up to date more effectively.

Paul James ● 3444d

There were no leaflets in Grange Park, but I knew from the website

Simon Bell ● 3444d

It does, it picks my rubbish or recycling up on Monday. What's not meeting requirements about that?

Paul James ● 3444d

This has been the case since the last bank holiday, and is now always the case.People really do need to keep up to date more with the happenings in essential services.

Paul James ● 3444d

No leaflets here. Other side of the road got them.As for texts not a lot of use if you don't have a smartfone or indeed a mobile phone.  Which is the case for over a dozen residents in our street. Same goes for internet access.As it was we did know but all the same, the food waste was collected but the bin left as it was not deemed accessible. i.e. By the pavement.I have emailed Cllr Mahfouz and he has in fairness, responded immediately.But the problem is large number away on BH mondays and a lot of visitors in their place.

Mark Kehoe ● 3444d

I would flytip or dump somewhere until council meets requirements

Peter Yale ● 3444d

Not sure where in the borough you are, but in the South Ealing area not only were leaflets delivered last week but also text alerts were issued about a week beforehand.

Russell Maiden ● 3445d

Total cock up once again.This time with residents out chasing the truck whose crew refused to empty bins not put out in the street or made fully accessible.It's a Bank Holiday. What do they expect?People are away or having a lie in. Bins are not being left out obstructing the pavement - as per instructions.Bins were also blocked in by visitors cars and people going into London for the day.All now full up and unemptied. For another fortnight. Flies everywhere. Some absolutely stink and have done for days.  I pity the crews who must have iron constitutions.Needless to say. No-one in control is at work today or available by phone or online.Utterly, utterly hopeless. Also shows just how few use the internet or bother with the council. As for leaflets mentioned by one of the crew. No sign of one.No point at all doing anything other than high street and commercial collections on a Bank Holiday Monday. We are all used to the hiccup to collections. The worst is a bin left out a day early. Why is it with all the communications technology to hand that the ability to organise is more backward than ever?

Mark Kehoe ● 3445d

whats going on with the green bags, garden waste? They seem to have been left several weeks now.

Peter Yale ● 3447d