Forum Topic

Re-cycling again !

We had a lot of cardboard and bottle to recycle this week (son had friends over) so we filled our green box and out all the overspill into a cardboard box next to it. They emptied the green box but left the rest. Why would they do that? I am going to put it all into black bin liners now for the general landfill - have had enough ! Either they want us to recycle or they don't. I actually don't care either way.

Penny Crocker ● 4256d20 Comments

Yep, if you want the box they'll take it and if you don't they won't.How about sharing a neighbour's?

Philippa Bond ● 4247d

Yes, it always strikes. I'm filling only the green box now. Once it's full, everything else is going in general waste.

Penny Crocker ● 4248d

Our green box went AWOL a couple of years ago and while we were waiting for the new one to turn up, we put our stuff out in a nice, big cardboard box that we found many uses for. Not only did they empty it, they took the bloody box too!

Susan Kelly ● 4248d

Oh well that will mean extra food and washing needed!You can request a precis of the community projects on the Greenredeem site wanting support - they are often better than us at finding their way around websites... or which self-indulgent rewards you could be saving for.  There were lots of points on offer last time I looked.

Philippa Bond ● 4249d

Hehehehehehe - yes. I have had him gardening though. He now has blisters !

Penny Crocker ● 4253d

Hi PennyFair enough.  Just good to get them taking part in the whole part of the process.  They come home and we are so happy to have them back that we cook for them and somehow suddenly find we are doing their washing again!

Philippa Bond ● 4253d

Hi Philippa,It's a long walk to the bottlebank for us (Waitrose) and he couldn't have carried them. More to the point though........why would I bother? If the contractors employed by the council and paid to do that job can't be bothered then frankly, neither can I.

Penny Crocker ● 4253d

Penny, looking back on this I wondered why you hadn't detailed said son to take or help take bottles to the bottlebank! Only be warned if you walk them there in a box there is bound to be nowhere to put the box once it is emptied so it tends to need to be a return trip and not an on-the-way-to trip!

Philippa Bond ● 4253d

They collected in a car today ! What a waste of time and money.

Penny Crocker ● 4255d

Just registered Philippa

Penny Crocker ● 4255d

Have you tried looking up info on your greenredeem account:https://www.greenredeem.co.uk

Philippa Bond ● 4255d

They reduced the amount of useful information on the website. The changes came with the new contract so I have always wondered whether it is run for our benefit as Council Tax payers and users of the service - or for those supposed to be delivering the service. Gone is the helpful info suggesting we can use a dustbin to safeguard any waste left outside overnight for instance. The lined-with-black-sack bin and lids-off policy (when needing emptying) works really well.  An ordinary sized dustbin is a much better size than a wheelie bin for the amount of waste likely to left after recycling.  It IS our responsibility to take care of our waste until it is collected and to make sure that if we pay anyone to take our waste away that they are a licensed waste carrier and we know where it is being taken to.  There are people who will take your money and just dump your waste around the corner.  If it is traced back to you you are liable to be prosecuted.Gone is all the information of where other than the Reuse & Recycling Centres you can dispose of stuff that is reusable.  A lot of this information - eg 7 No furniture reuse charities - is now on the West London Waste Authority website (of which Ealing is one of six member Boroughs).  Hopefully this will keep growing. There is a link but more info is missing.  www.westlondonwaste.gov.uk/  The less we have the easier it is to dispose of so it is a shame that we are still spending so much time at the end of the Reduce Reuse & Recycle hierarchy.It is also useful to know where your nearest neighbourhood recycling banks are and what you can take there - they are not a complete replacement for a kerbside collection.

Philippa Bond ● 4256d

Keep on reporting it.We were originally told that if we needed an extra we could ask for it.  There also appears sometimes to be a problem with cardboard.  We used to be told that large flattened cardboard boxes would be collected by another lorry - so residents weren't to worry if it hadn't gone with the green box and left it out for collection.  The previous contractors even used to put a sticker on it to say that they were aware of it.I can understand that they might not want to inadvertently be picking up what should be commercial waste (and should be paid for) but I don't see why we should have to worry about whether or not something will be collected.Being bothered should be part of their contract.

Philippa Bond ● 4256d

No,I did look to see if the website had any info. I'll keep on reporting it if they don't come and take it. Either we're committed to recycling or we're not - don't give a toss either way but if we're just playing silly games then I can be as sodding awkward as the next person

Penny Crocker ● 4256d

There doesn't appear to be much advice on the Council website about what to do if you fill your green box and still have stuff left to recycle:http://www.ealing.gov.uk/info/200970/recycling_services/280/green_box_recycling

Paul James ● 4256d

I reckon that the recycling rate would go up a lot if they collected what they are supposed to and everybody had the bags and boxes that they ought to have.

Philippa Bond ● 4256d

Yes reporting the missed collection is always a good way as it looks bad on their statistics!!

Peter Chadburn ● 4256d

Blimey Penny - you do seem to be at war with your local team.  From previous threads, I thought you'd abandoned the cause?

Phil Kay ● 4256d

I have filled up the green box with it all and now it's full - s I have reported a missed collection - out of sheer bloody mindedness. I'll keep doing it til they get the message. Morons

Penny Crocker ● 4256d

It depends how bloody-minded the collectors are.One week they will take a load of cardboard, the next week not.It's so inconsistent that it's a joke, I just put it out the following week.

Nigel Brooks ● 4256d