The Bins

[annedonnelly]

I have just had a walk around our village and the town houses (80's word for terraced) look an eyesore with four bins under their front window.

We've had wheelie bins here for years - maybe 20 or 25? I remember complaints when they were brought in but I guess now everyone is just so used to the sight of them they're just part of the landscape. There are a few people who build little fences to hide them or cover them with sticky-back plastic in a Blue Peter-type fashion.

 

[annedonnelly]

Given how good the recycling services are out here, I can't understand how some people can still put out four or five black bags a week... What the heck are they throwing away?

I know! But then I'm the person who goes shopping and refuses to buy things in packaging if I can go elsewhere for a naked version.

 

[numbnuts]

Still got a black plastic bag use to get them for free, but now we have to pay for them.
If you want to recycle glass I have to walk .6 miles round trip to the bottle bank.

 

[Reynard]

I know! But then I'm the person who goes shopping and refuses to buy things in packaging if I can go elsewhere for a naked version.

I'm muchly similar.

Cooking largely from scratch does eliminate a heck of a lot of packaging, but sadly I still generate more than I'd like. But the little swaps, like buying yoghurt in large tubs instead of individual pots, or buying stuff that comes in packaging that can be re-used (dreamies in boxes, Polish vegetable salad in a tub) makes a big difference.

Also, things like shampoo in bars rather than bottles, using a moon cup rather than single use sanitary products and screw top metal drinks bottles instead of buying bottled water.

 

[oldwheels]

I've got 3 wheely bins (garden waste, landfill, recycling). It is a pain, but I do have a drive to keep them on. The road opposite me has no driveways so the bins are kept out on the pavement. I suppose there's not much else you can do. I considered making a little shed for them but it would obscure the view from my front window. I think fabric or plastic bags don't achieve much, as when left outside you lose most of the rubbish to the wind

On Shetland they used plastic bags when I was there last and nearly all were covered by a bit of fishing net with weights attached to stop them blowing away. Did not do much to deter gulls but at least it kept the rubbish more or less contained tho' some people had wooden boxes which combined with nets kept the gulls off.

 

[Milkfloat]

We start a new system here on Monday - but the bins have not been delivered yet so who knows what will actually happen. Weekly a small food caddy will be collected, bi-weekly a garden waste bin (about £40 extra a year), alternate bi-weekly will be recyclables and every 3 weeks will be unrecyclable waste.
The unrecyclable waste bin we have already and was collected bi-weekly, going to every 3 weeks will be very difficult as it is barely big enough now for our 4 person house where we recycle religiously. I can see slots at the local tip booking up very quickly as people struggle.

 

[Mike_P]

I have bi weekly household wheelie bin collection and on the opposing bi weekly rota garden wheelie bin (annual charge), black plastic crate for bottles and cans and blue plastic bag for paper and card collected. Due to the crates and plastic bags blowing away in a merest of a gusty wind they are making heavier duty bags available for the paper and card and trialling elsewhere wheelie bins for bottles and cans.

 

[vickster]

The soft plastic recycling at Tesco has made a big difference to how much landfill waste I produce (I really should be better at recycling the cat food pouches though)
I have a box for tins, hard plastic, glass
A food caddy
A big wheely for paper and card
Food caddy emptied weekly, others every other week on rotation
I don’t bother paying for garden waste, that either goes to landfill or the tip (I get 12 tip visits a year which is plenty)

 

[Reynard]

The soft plastic recycling at Tesco has made a big difference to how much landfill waste I produce (I really should be better at recycling the cat food pouches though)

This, in spades.

With the cat food pouches, I just dump the empty ones in the sink, rinse them out with the soapy water once I've done the washing up in the evening, pop them upside down in the dish rack overnight, and then they into the soft plastics box in the morning.

I fill a bread bag with soft plastics once a fortnight (although its all well tamped down in there), so that's 26 bread bags per year. When you visualise that, it's a heck of a lot of plastic, even though I try to avoid the stuff as much as possible.

 

[vickster]

This, in spades.

With the cat food pouches, I just dump the empty ones in the sink, rinse them out with the soapy water once I've done the washing up in the evening, pop them upside down in the dish rack overnight, and then they into the soft plastics box in the morning.

I fill a bread bag with soft plastics once a fortnight (although its all well tamped down in there), so that's 26 bread bags per year. When you visualise that, it's a heck of a lot of plastic, even though I try to avoid the stuff as much as possible.

I have a dishwasher and don't have a dish rack, but I'm sure there's a solution so they're not so stinky

 

[Reynard]

I have a dishwasher and don't have a dish rack, but I'm sure there's a solution so they're not so stinky

Umm, yes, well... I *am* the dishwasher...

 

[Salad Dodger]

We have:
Large blue bin for recyclable stuff. Emptied fortnightly.
Large black bin for non recyclable stuff. Emptied fortnightly on the opposite week to the blue bin.
Small brown bin for food waste. Emptied weekly.
Large green bin for garden waste. Emptied fortnightly but on a different day to the blue or black bins. (I pay for this one, so not every household has one of these).
Big red plastic bag for paper and card. Emptied fortnightly alongside the blue bin.

Simples!

 

[Reynard]

Forgot to mention, that green wheelie bin for garden & kitchen waste is free here, but there is a yearly charge for an additional bin if you want one.

 

[oldwheels]

We have no additional charges for any bins and access to the dump is free at any time which suits us to go.
There is one bin for paper, recycleable plastic and tins emptied every 2 weeks. Another for landfill every 3 weeks and a glass bin about once per month I think.
Bigger things like fridges or washing machines or redundant furniture we can take to the dump ourselves free of charge but getting them uplifted is £70. Most people know somebody with a pickup or van so paid uplifts are rare.
Metal objects of any kind have a skip at the dump as well as garden waste if you wish.
There is also a container for the local charity shop and a clothing, shoes and any other fabric bin.
Pretty well anything you can think of has a container waiting to keep it all separate.

 

[Mike_P]

I have never understood plastic bag recycling, those with a 4 on them are fine with carrier bags in supermarket collection bins but what of the rest?