wheelie bins

[Dave]

I was idly watching the refuse collection this morning and one thing that struck me was the amount of time it takes to empty just one of them. Take the bin to the back of the wagon, hook it up and press the button for the rise, wait for it to empty and then want for it to be dropped off again, then return the bin to the edge of the property.

It was a far quicker process when everyone used bin bags. OK I know they were subject to animals ripping them open, but most of that risk could have been taken away by the use of an open top plastic box to drop the bin bag in. One for each bag that was regularly put out for collection.

Dave

[John]

but that required manual handling with the risk of repetitive strain injuries.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Of course it was more efficient. But it took at least 5 jobs to be created to determine to use wheelie bins, evaluate their safety, order them, get them to households, and re-equip the trucks to use them, not to mention the extra jobs created to load them, daily. And of course paste the stickers on refusing to collect them because they have the wrong sort of rubbish in, or too much of the right sort of rubbish.

This is called 'investing in people' and any right minded (sic!) left wing government knows that this wins votes and keeps the unemployment statistics down.

I mean what else are these poor employees going to do? relocate to an Indian call centre?

They haven't enough education, for that.

[Piers Finlayson]

TBH, all the binmen I've seen in the last few years look like they work bloody hard - they seem to be constantly running grabbing bin bags, wheelie bins etc. (I assume because they don't get paid by the hour but by the route.)

I'm glad that our council (Powys) seem to have quietly dropped suggestions of wheelie bins which they mooted at one point. Their recent proganda/newletter said that 94% of people were happy with the refuse service, which made me worry that they were about to meddle with it!

[Adrian]

Dave gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Priorities.

It's far quicker and less hassle for me - the householder, the council tax payer - to deal with a wheelie bin.

And - as far as I'm concerned, and especially when I look at that monthly direct debit on my bank statement - I'm FAR more important than the bloke who empties the bins.

[Huge]

So far as the politicians are concerned, your sole function is to pay the taxes and shut the f*ck up.

[Cash]

If I remember correctly, the first wheelie bins were brought in to cut down on the number of weekly collections (bigger bins and bigger lorries) and to reduce the number of lorries on three road, the number of people in the crew (in the case of my then LA - they reduced the crews from 5 men to 3) and then increased the size of the rounds to fill the lorries - and all this was done as the results of a right-wing Tory government run by a witch called Thatcher (who has since spawned son-of-Thatcher -- Cameron along with his lapdogs Cleggie and the half-bake Osborn - [just realised, you could call that lot the First of The Summer wine - and that usually tastes like shit]).

Cash

[John]

Keep quiet - or we may end up with a "recycling centre" at the end of each road like they have in some mainland countries.

Before anyone suggests it is a good idea - consider what it would be like if it was sited outside your home.

[Andrew Gabriel]

A neighbour uses a bin liner in their wheelie bin, and the collection guys always just lift that out and leave the bin where it is. They usually carry the bin liner to the next wheelie bin in the road and drop it in (or on top). I use carrier bags as kitchen bin liners. If I bother to put my wheelie bin out with just 2 or 3 bags in the bottom, likewise, they lift them out and carry them up the road.

So it looks like they agree with you.

[Tim Streater]

Well, if you want to pay more that's fine by me.

[Tim Streater]

This is 100% correct, as opposed to TNP's nonsense elsewhere in the thread.

The simple fact is that the bin is much better for the *consumer*, and that is what counts. We only need put our black bin out once a month because we don't generate enough stuff to require it to go out every other week. The bin can sit around and because it closes completely, unlike plastic sacks, it doesn't smell.

We only produce one sack with the recyclables every two weeks, too, unlike e.g. Bob Eager who seems to produce four with only twice as many people.

Further, having bins means we can get rid of at least some of the garden waste every other week. Try shoving *that* in plastic sacks.

[Phil L]

I agree, but why stop there? - the plastic box would have to have a lid, otherwise meat and bones etc would attract flies and vermin, and if it did have a lid, there wouldn't be any need for the refuse to be bagged, thus saving the council tax payer money, as the council wouldn't have to supply thousands of bin bags every week, but then it would probably be a pain in the arse to lift up, but if handles were fitted it would make things much easier.... except for pensioners and pregnant women etc... but if small wheels were attatched to the bottom, the whole thing might just work, why not write to your local council and tell them?

[Dave]

That didn't bother them before wheelie bins.

Dave

[Dave]

Not the least bit cynical are you :-)

Dave

[Piers Finlayson]

What I don't want to do is wheel a wheelie bin 100 yards up and down a steep, uneven drive every week. Dumping bin bags suits me just fine.

[Tim Streater]

So you can do what we were able to do in South Cambs: get permission to leave the bin at your end of the slope and have the binmen get it.

[Mike Barnes]

Piers Finlayson :

Do what a friend of mine did - drive it there by popping the handle over your tow hook.

[Mike Clarke]

Quite. When I were a lad the bin man would go through to the back garden, pick up the metal bin, carry it on his back to the road, tip it over his shoulder into the bin waggon then put the bin back where he found it in the back garden.

[Bob Eager]

When I was in hospital last week I was fascinated by the motor attachments for the beds, steered and controlled by a pistol grip handle. Perhaps someone ought to market one to attach to a wheelie bin...

[The Natural Philosopher]

What tosh. The flies and maggots get in the bin no worries. Plastic bags DO close completely if you tied them.

No we shove it in the garden where it belongs.