Re-cycling compactor

[Huge]

On 2014-11-30, Nightjar

[Chris French]

Ah, we just have one wheelie bin for recyclables (plus 1 for non-recyclable and 1 green waste bin)

Oops, yup, that as well, and Tetrapak type cartons :-)

Yep, we used to have bottle banks, but a few years ago, they included glass in the wheelie bin collections as well.

Well, they separate the different plastic types at our local waste processing place. Presumably they have some market for the separated plastics otherwise they would just bundle it all up and send it off wherever. And for a long time they wouldn't collect type 5 and 6 plastics - polypropylene and polystyrene - plastics trays, tubs and pots etc. - so it is worth their while it seem separating this stuff.

Even the black bin general waste doesn't go straight to landfill any more. They have a treatment plant that separates out metals, plastics, glass and stones from it, and then basically composts down the rest of the waste. Not sure what happens to that then as they aren't allowed apparently to sue it for growing food.

[Nightjar]

...

I wonder how much that is due to the UK having a fairly low rate of waste production per capita. In 2012/2103 we produced 423kg of waste per person, compared with 611kgs per capita in Germany and 668kgs in Denmark. Germany recycled or composted 65% of their waste, while Britain recycled or composted 46%, but the result of that is that Germany didn't recycle or compost 214kgs per person, while for Britain the figure was

226kgs per person. As the stated aim is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, perhaps the targets should be based upon the amount of waste per capita going there, rather than on the percentage of waste produced that is recycled or composted.

That sounds as though they award the recycling contract to different companies every year.

[stuart noble]

Thus spake Andy Hall

[Huge]

Actually, that was me. But I agreed completely with Andy (RIP).

[Tim Lamb]

In message , "Nightjar "@?.?.invalid> writes

Maybe. Possibly their contractors are catching up with automated sorting reported elsewhere.

Currently 3 different lorry collections on recycle day! Garden waste, bottles and paper and back for tins/plastic.

As they have to turn their lorries in my yards, I'm saving that as an argument to head off any re-valuation of the community charge:-)

[Chris J Dixon]

My bin men did, eventually, get all the leaves out of my bin, but it took a great deal of banging and shaking to do it.

Haven't I seen tubular metal devices that hook onto the bin to compact in situ?

Chris

[Peter Hill]

Warm it up a bit.

Or get a Stanley knife, cut it round the middle and then fill 2 1/2's up with smaller stuff.

[Brian Gaff]

Well as part of their equality duty there are supposes to be designated staff members who do get out and at addresses where its impossible for the person to get the bins out and back does this for them.This works well for the general waste wheelie bin but as hads been suggested, all sorts of bins bags boxes etc are used for recycling making thejob impossible,. Yet, the company Violia has a recycling sorting plant in Lewisham, but very few London boroughs use it for some reason. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

The reason this cannot be done here is parked cars with two wheels on the footway which has been allowed. This means that bins are supposed to be picked up and dropped from the property edge of our houses, well the first bit works, but the putting back seldom does for recycling. This is why, thus far its been impossible for me to recycle for some years. Playing hunt the bin is not much fun. Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

I've always thought sorting recycling is a job that could be done by people on offenders' work schemes.

Owain

[spuorgelgoog]

Perhaps you could attach one of those "key finders" to it that bleeps when you whistle at it?

Although I could find my bin by smell - I was the only person on the street who used Jeyes Bin Fresh.

Owain

[damduck-egg]

I expect those who run them want people who will work at a reasonable pace and not be tempted to sabotage things deliberatly as an act of revenge, and it's probably one of the remaining tasks that a person who has not managed to get educated enough to get a cleaner job can still do and earn some money instead of getting it by other means lawful or unlawful. But picking the up the tons of non degradeable rubbish that is now lying along the nations road verges would be a good task for offenders. X number of bags for a cup of tea/coffee ,xx for the meal at lunch time and X bags for the afternoon tea/coffee. Plain water available free for health reasons.

G.Harman

[Tim Lamb]

Umm.. I already draw the line at tearing off sticky tape and removing staples from cardboard boxes. Fortunately the person who benefits from his rent has taken back the job:-)

[dennis]

That would be depriving people of a job.

[Lobster]

On 01 Dec 2014, Chris J Dixon grunted:

Evidently you give yours a bigger Xmas tip than me, then!

You have. In fact there's one in my garage - it doesn't actually fit my model of bin :(

[Chad]

Strange how tipping certain workers is considered the norm. I've never tipped the bin men; they are not self-employed, they don't do anything special and it's my council tax that pays their (not bad) wages anyway.

Same with the postie.

I tip taxi drivers if they are on time. (Guess how many taxi drivers tipped me when I worked in a petrol station?)

Barber - tip. (Don't want a 'mistake' next time!)

Waiting staff get a tip if they do a good job - and they almost always do. I have removed auto-added service charges from bills where the service has been bad.

[Huge]

In 21 years living in this house, I *saw* the bin men for the first time this morning.