Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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Fee
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Recycling/Green Waste CollectionI know I've had a rant about this before, but having used up my last carrier bag in the house (and I have no intention of having any more, though we will inevitably gain some from people bringing things in them), I'm in the process of writing to my Borough council to ask what they would like me to put my recycling in.
At the moment, we have no green/brown bin, in fact we don't even have a dustbin, just black bags. If we want curb-side recycling, then it has to go into carrier bags and left on out the front.
You can see my issue here if I don't use carrier bags!
Rant over, for now. What collections do you have for recycling? Oh, and they only take paper, magazines and cans, and all have to be in separate bags.
Ok, so there are plenty of 'recycling stations' around, and I could drive it to the main recycling centre, but they're always overflowing at the local bins, and that's besides the point, we pay a hell of a lot of money to Surrey Heath Borough Council every year, and I'm just feeling a bit ranty 
I realised I asked a similar question back in 2006, but things might have changed since then, and I'm actually getting around to being annoyed enough to write a letter or three now.
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Bernie66
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We have green brown and grey bins so we're lucky I guess.
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Rob R
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A green bin for landfill & a blue bin for paper, plastics have to go in carriers inside the paper bin & glass we have to take to the recycling collection place in the next village & we have subsidised home composting bins too.
Edit: I think we can take cans to the recycling too but we prefer to periodically cash them in at the scrapyard at York.
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Stacey
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We have a green box as well as the wheelie bin but we don't put any recycling out. I got fed up of the constant moaning of the collection people so now we have a selection of feed sacks outside the back door which we fill with recycling and take them to the banks ourselves.
The green box was for glass and tins - newspaper had to be put in separate carrier bags - can't remember if they used to take cardboard or not.
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sean
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Bin bags for landfill. Green bin for any compostables in excess of what we use ourselves. Green box for tins, glass and plastics. Green bag for paper and shoes.
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Treacodactyl
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I don't understand why every county council and even areas within a council have different methods and collect different things. 
We put rubbish out in sacks, glass and tins in a green box and, in theory, paper and card in a blue bag. After having a few blue bags blow away in the wind once emptied I now use another green box for the paper. Note, the card has to fit in the bag/box, if it's too big they have to send a special van to pick it up. 
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Fee
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I'm off to post a letter...
| Quote: | Dear Sir or Madam,
As a keen recycler, I'm pleased to see that you are at trying to do something regards recycling collection in the borough, but as a keen recycler, I do not use carrier bags, and having finally put my last carrier bag out full of paper for recycling this week, I am wondering what I should do with my curbside recyclable waste in the future?
Do you have any plans to provide residents with recycling bins like all other counties we have lived in (even over 7 years ago)? I realise I can use the local recycling bins, but as I'm sure you are aware, they are frequently full to overflowing, and I'm not willing to leave my recycling on the ground next to them.
Also, we have our own compost bins and a wormery for dealing with kitchen waste, but it worries me that this is not the norm in the Borough, and other less green residents are still putting their kitchen waste into their normal bins which go to landfill.
I know you have the garden waste club (for which you charge, therefore not actively encouraging for the less green), but frankly, I don't think this is enough, and I'd like to know what your future plans are to make Surrey Heath a greener borough?
I look forward to your reply.
Yours faithfully,
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Bernie66
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Good luck, I eagerly await a prompt and full response
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Fee
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| Bernie66 wrote: | | Good luck, I eagerly await a prompt and full response |
Yeah, in 2010 perhaps I'm not holding my breath. Think I'll email my MP about it while I'm at it 
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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| Fee wrote: | | Bernie66 wrote: | | Good luck, I eagerly await a prompt and full response |
Yeah, in 2010 perhaps I'm not holding my breath. Think I'll email my MP about it while I'm at it |
good plan, and perhaps a letter to the local rag?
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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here nothing is provided for normal waste so we've got an old fashoned dustbin
There is a green recycling box for paper, tins, glass, and plastic milk or water containers (the only plastic they collect atm) We only have one which is fine for us but we could have more if we wished.
We have a brown wheelie bin for green waste and cardboard to go to be composted, for which we have to pay an annual charge of £29. I agree about the charge being offputting but it gets rid of things we can't compost ourselves due to quantity or things like couch roots which we'd not want ourselves in case...
The only other way to get rid of green waste is to purchase green bin bags from the post office (or mobile library oddly) for one off pruning jobs or similar. Think they're about 70p last time I looked.
The local farm shop has additional dumpsters for clothes, books, CDs, shoes and most importantly for us soft plastics. I have a carrier behind the kitchen door to collect this and since I go to the farm shop most weeks its no trouble to empty it there. I noticed today they've put in a new dumpster for plastic plant pots which is a great idea
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Fee
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote: | | Fee wrote: | | Bernie66 wrote: | | Good luck, I eagerly await a prompt and full response |
Yeah, in 2010 perhaps I'm not holding my breath. Think I'll email my MP about it while I'm at it |
good plan, and perhaps a letter to the local rag? |
Done, done and done  Also emailed a few people at the council in addition to the letter, which I may or may not remember to post when I go to pick Paul up tonight 
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LynneA
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We have a bin for green waste and another for the rest of the recycling. We can put almost anything out for roadside collection - plastic, glass, metal, paper - even aerosols. If the bins are full, they take bags of stuff, providing they are open. Regular waste must be in closed bags. The only things they don't take are shoes, clothes and electrical goods. Electrical goods can be collected for free by arrangement, and there are cloth and footwear collection bins on roadsides or near shops.
If writing to ask your council to improve recycling systems, it may be an idea to cite Enfield as a council that has a good method for roadside recycling. You could also point out that green waste collected is processed and the compost made is available free to schools and allotments.
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jocorless
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| Fee wrote: | | Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote: | | Fee wrote: | | Bernie66 wrote: | | Good luck, I eagerly await a prompt and full response |
Yeah, in 2010 perhaps I'm not holding my breath. Think I'll email my MP about it while I'm at it |
good plan, and perhaps a letter to the local rag? |
Done, done and done Also emailed a few people at the council in addition to the letter, which I may or may not remember to post when I go to pick Paul up tonight |
I remember Farnborough as being quite progressive when we lived there - It was the first time I'd seen plastic bottle recycling at the Sainsburys off the Blackwater bypass but maybe that's because we came under Rushmoor rather than Surrey Heath
Up here we have recycling for plastic (just introduced), paper + cardboard, glass and tins plus the big green bin for Garden waste - which we only use very rarely as most of it goes in the compost - Infact we only use if for things like blighted potatoes, ivy cuttings and the bark chippings on the front garden that the cats treat as a lovely big litter tray!
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Fee
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| jocorless wrote: |
I remember Farnborough as being quite progressive when we lived there - It was the first time I'd seen plastic bottle recycling at the Sainsburys off the Blackwater bypass but maybe that's because we came under Rushmoor rather than Surrey Heath |
That's what makes it so bliddy annoying! A few miles either side of us and they have great collection schemes, sometimes I hate being just on the border of 3 counties  . We lived in Basingstoke, which is 20 minutes down the M3, but in Hampshire, 8 years ago, when they introduced their first recycling bins (the piggy back ones), it was so exciting! They've got even better since in Hampshire and seem to keep on top of the game when it comes to recycling, unless Surrey friggin' Heath!
Grrrr...
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cinders
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we have a green bin for recycle.Glass goes to the glass bank.Grey bin for rubbish.We can have a brown bin for garden waste but i choose to compost mine
Our council accepts our recycleables in one bin.It then goes on a line where workers pick of the items which are non recycleable.A magnet then picks up the cans,and the rest travels on, paper and card then goes one way along a converbelt and plastics go another
we can't recycle plastics that aren't shaped like a bottle, unlike suffolk council
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shopgirlsue
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Well we come under Salisbury and we have - black boxes for paper (but not envelopes - don't like the glue  ), glass, cans, foil, empty aerosols and textiles/clothes/shoes ( in a carrier bag in the box )
Then card and cardboard can be put out as well - in a cardboard box.
This is all collected fortnightly
I think green waste can be put out in sacks that can be bought from the council
The only things I have to take to the recycling banks are plastic bottles and tetrapaks
Landfill stuff goes in sacks that we have to provide and is collected weekly
Apparently by the end of the year we'll all have wheelie bins so I guess the system will change again.
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hamster
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We have to put our landfill rubbish out in black plastic bags, that gets collected every week, and we have plastic boxes, one for cans and plastic (type 1 and 2) and one for paper and card, and they get collected every fortnight.
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Stacey
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Then they stick it all on a boat and send it somewhere hot
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ros
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we have a black bin for non-recycleable, collected fortnightly.
we have a big green bin for restricted selection of plastics, paper, light card tins and cans.
we have two green bags for garden waste which I use occasionally if I have toomuch grass for the compost bins.
The other side of the A1, same council (!) also get a brown bin for kitchen scraps, I feed most of mine to the worms or compost but sometimes get too much.
at the tidy tip we have a big bin for drinks cartons and can take bottles there.
Big arguments around here about the fortnighlty collection, I have no idea what people are throwing away, even at christmas our bin isn't full, even with 3 kids
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Fee
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| ros wrote: |
Big arguments around here about the fortnighlty collection, I have no idea what people are throwing away, even at christmas our bin isn't full, even with 3 kids |
It's all that extra packaging on frozen foodstuffs, ready meal boxes and all that cark!
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Marionb
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The majority of areas in my County now have kerbside recycling, however (typically) there isnt any in my area.
So I have a rubbish collection weekly but anything I want to recycle I have to take to the recycling point in town after work. So I have a bag for plastic cartons, one for tins, one for bottles/jars, one for cardboard, one for batteries, and a stack of newspapers and magazines.
Most of the people I work with dont bother to recycle at all, very annoying.
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Barefoot Andrew
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Here we have a blue tub for the bottles and tins, and a fairly sturdy blue bag for newspapers etc. Except it's a bit hit and miss whether they actually leave you a bag
A fortnight ago I put out the tub, and as I didn't have a blue bag I also put out a (recycled) black bin bag full off papers, mags, envelopes, egg boxes, loo rolls etc etc. This was placed tidily on top of said blue tub. Annoyingly and mystifyingly, the wastrels lifted off the black bag and just left it there, taking only the tub of bottles and cans. I have no idea whether this was because they just though it was general rubbish, or because they won't take it unless it's in the Correct Bag. And if it were the latter they didn't leave me a blue bag so I can amend my erroneous ways next time.
This isn't the first time there has been a deficiency in service - I must get onto the council about this. In the meantime, I've been making more use of recycling points on account of kerb-side being a bit useless
A.
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Fee
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| Marionb wrote: | | ... So I have a bag for plastic cartons, one for tins, one for bottles/jars, one for cardboard, one for batteries, and a stack of newspapers and magazines. |
Sounds very familiar, though our bottles go in a big bin from IKEA 
I have a stack of papers behind the front door, unread local papers, we get 2 every week, so I just pile them up where they land, then usually bag them up and put them out for collection on a Tuesday on my way out.
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Fee
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Response from Environmental Health Dept email:
| Quote: | Dear Ms Taylor
Thank you for your recent message regarding recycling.
I have checked with verdant (our refuse collectors) and they have suggested the following for doorstep recycling collections.
- You can tie the newspapers in string
- You can use a cardboard box (but the box will not be collected and when wet may cause you problems)
- You can use a plastic box but there is sometimes a problem with them being stolen
- Many supermarkets have plastic bag recycling areas, you may wish to use some of those bags.
Our current refuse contract ends in February 2009 and it is most likely that we will then be in a position to change to a wheelie bin collection system which will assist to increase recycling in the borough.
If you use a recycling area and the bins are full and overflowing, this can be reported to us and we can arrange for the problem to be rectified.
We do not automatically provide a composter to households as many householder do not have the space for one (i.e. properties with no gardens/flats). However, we do have details of a company who supply composters to residents in the borough at a greatly reduced cost. These details can be found on our website or we can supply the details via a leaflet or be passed over the phone. Many residents are taking up this offer as recycling is being promoted nationwide.
I hope this is sufficient information to cover the issues you have raised but please do contact me again if you require any further information.
Yours sincerely
Gail Smith
Customer Service Advisor
Contact Centre
Surrey Heath Borough Council |
I knew she wouldn't actually read what I was saying regards composting. Anyway, was pleased to get a response so quickly, it was unexpected.
I'll be bundling my papers up in string then.
Good idea about the supermarket recycling carrier bag boxes, might have to nick a few from there now and then.
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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[quote="Fee"]Response from Environmental Health Dept email:
| Quote: | Dear Ms Taylor
Thank you for your recent message regarding recycling.
I have checked with verdant (our refuse collectors) and they have suggested the following for doorstep recycling collections.
- You can tie the newspapers in string
- You can use a cardboard box (but the box will not be collected and when wet may cause you problems)
- You can use a plastic box but there is sometimes a problem with them being stolen
- Many supermarkets have plastic bag recycling areas, you may wish to use some of those bags.
Our current refuse contract ends in February 2009 and it is most likely that we will then be in a position to change to a wheelie bin collection system which will assist to increase recycling in the borough.
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I've seen that sort of quote from our council so don't hold your breath
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Good idea about the supermarket recycling carrier bag boxes, might have to nick a few from there now and then. |
nope, flawed logic, dear Fee. You're suppose to go to the supermarket and carefully avoid carrier bags only to have to return there to nick a few from the recycling bin.. how does this constitute joined up thinking on their part when we're trying to avoid carrier bags in the first place. Ask what they do with the carrier bags they collect?
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Fee
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True...
Sorry,change of subject briefly, it has just started thundering 
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cinders
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Fee
Before we had wheelie bins i used to put the recycle in plastic tubs I had 3 in toll.No problem with theft in our area.Wind occassionally blew them away (Mind you i did put them in plastic bags first )
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Fee
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I didn't quite understand the theft part, thought it was a strange comment as we've never had a problem with theft either I suppose other parts of Camberley might.
I've been thinking about it anyway, and we've got quite a few spare plastic boxes in the loft, so I'm going to start using one of those I think. One of the smaller ones should fit behind the front door nicely.
Our rubbish only goes out in the morning, then collected fairly early, I suppose if they go out at night when the kids are bored and need something to do, then they might go walkabout
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Treacodactyl
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Funnily I found writing your house number in big letters on the boxes stops the wind from blowing them away...
Actually, what seems to happen is when the recycling is collected in the boxes provided by the council the operators often just throw the empty boxes down all over the place so people pick up other peoples.
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