The Kintyre Forum

...or not as the case may be, if Argyll & Bute Council get their way...

It seems the council, ever striving to improve the range and quality of the services it provides to council tax payers, are looking closely at changing from a weekly to a fortnightly rubbish collection under some misguided notion that this will encourage us to recycle more of our waste and so reduce the cost of sending it to landfill.

Whilst one or two people might only be half-filling their wheelie bins each week I can assure our councillors that in our household of six people, four cats, one dog, two goldfish and a hamster(!) we struggle to get it all inside the one. Somehow getting a second week's rubbish in as well just ain't a viable option.

You can't get a quart into a pint pot.

I'd be interested in other people's views on this.

Cheers
Gary

ps Point of fact: Households in England with five or more persons resident can request a second wheelie bin, and I know of none that have yet implemented a fortnightly collection.

pps For the benefit of wee alba, my ps wasn't intended to rub anyone's nose in it, but rather to highlight what happens in other parts of the country. Tsk.

Gary, not in all communities in the US, but in San Antonio we have twice weekly pick up. Can't imagine families having to go 2 weeks.

I know some of the people involved in opposing a similar move planned for the outskirts of Glasgow, and I am sure that they would be willing to share with you the research that they have done to make the case to keep weekly collections. Contact e-mail on the second page of this news article.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5050199.html

I Gary

And ye forgot tae mention the stuff fae the keech bins in the Avenue and Sally's Walk, but then maybe we could pass that on tae the fermers for recycling on the land. Joking aside, like everything else with A&B council, continious cutbacks in all directions. What will come next?

Thanks for the link, Mary. Useful to know there is already a 'resistance movement' in operation.

Cheers
Gary

Angus council have implemented a 2 week collection for household rubbish. Households with 5 or over occupants are entitled to an extra bin. The council have also issued us wit a green box for newspapers, tins, glass and milk cartons. This is collected every week. A green bin is also issued this is for grass cuttings, vegetables and tea bag (they must think we drink alot of tea to fill the bin) this is collected every 2 weeks. I cant get out my back door now for bins.

GarySutherland wrote:ps Point of fact: Households in England with five or more persons resident can request a second wheelie bin, and I know of none that have yet implemented a fortnightly collection.

When in Engerland...., yawn, yawn. Why has every point you make to refer to when in England?

So you think it's okay for people in Scotland to get poorer public services than people living elsewhere in the UK? I mentioned England because that's where I have experience of. Maybe someone can tell us the position in Wales?

You've stated elsewhere that you live alone in a flat in Glasgow so I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference to you whether your bin is empied weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.

For some of us that are living here, raising families, building businesses, and keeping the local schools and shops going, it might make a difference to our quality of life.

Regards
Gary

jdcarra wrote:Joking aside, like everything else with A&B council, continious cutbacks in all directions. What will come next?

Benjamin Franklin said "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes", and he wasn't far wrong. Taxes go up, services are killed-off.

I see they still haven't fixed that street light, JD.

Cheers
Gary

Would be good to get a statement from the Council on this one but surely there are reasons if this is a proposal?

For every large family there are small ones and the resource wasted on collecting half empty bins must be pretty high?

Would it not encourage people to recycle? Is this not perhaps the whole point? It is amazing how many people now recycle paper, plastic, bottles etc so perhaps this has all been taken into consideration?

I'm like you Gary and am pretty much a full bin person but I know some of my neighbours are half bins However, if the bins were only collected once a fortnight then I am sure I would recycle more Get the weans back on real nappies and all of that

OF course, all of the above is to generate conversation!

Gary and thep
There are now two Wheelie Bins per household in Derbyshire , one green and the other black.
The Green bin is collected week 1 full of cardboard and garden waste only.
The black bin is collected week 2 full of normal household waste.
So , as the main bin is only collected once in two weeks , this has made everyone take their plastic containers , glass bottles and other bulk rubbish to the re-cycle areas .
All newspapers etc are collected along with cans etc from a blue container every other week by a contracted company.
I think the method that household waste is collected and dispossed of is changing for the better , but not everywhere has access to alternative dispossal .The councils must supply the correct methord for the local community , and not just reduce collections.
fROSTY

A friend of mine in surrey has two bins also, a green one for recyclable goods, and a black one for waste. They are each emptied every other week. Their bins are lot smaller than ours. There are only two people in their house and the bins are adequate. However she says it is a nightmare in the summer when fish or meat waste sitting in a warm plastic bin for two weeks begins to rot and stink.
Does anyone know why the recycling bins have been removed from the woodside carpark in carradale.

witchnettle wrote:Does anyone know why the recycling bins have been removed from the woodside carpark in carradale.

It was raised at a Community Council meeting to relocate the bins as some of the general public within the vicinity of the bins disapproved of the them there. Point taken, they took up some of the carpark area, also kids were climbing ontop of them and there was a danger someone would get hurt. They were moved to the carpark at Shore Road were they are as today.

thanks for the info jd

In Kettering where I work for the local council, we have a grey wheelie bin for compostable rubbish(including corragated cardboard, vegetable matter and teabags).. a blue box for glass and tins.. a red box for newspapers,non shiny periodicals and plain cardboard and a black wheelie bin for general refuse(I think this is nappies,plastic bottles,ashes etc).. Each bin is collected on designated days and god help you if you put the wrong colour out.. There is also a ruling that if your lid is open more than half an inch your rubbish is rejected..(health and safety issue)... Watching the recycling department juggling the figures to prove that we are saving the planet is a joy to behold..