Fortnightly bin collections, your thoughts.

[Ship called Dignity]

Many of you will be aware that Argyll & Bute Council introduced a fortnightly collection of bins on some of the Islands last year.

Heard something last night on the news that the Government are planning to introduce this across the board in all areas.

What are your views on this?

[sooze]

If they do introduce this then they will have to provide everyone with recycling bins for the other week and be able to put in more recyclable goods as they are rather restricted at present.
Other councils with this also have special uplifts for extra goods that is not charged for.

Sooze

[iceblue]

In Campbeltown we have Wastewatchers every fortnight who collect items such as paper, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles etc, so I don't really see the need to provide more bins for recyclable items. I don't know where I would be able to store more bins anyway

Personally it would take me several weeks to fully fill my wheelie bin. However, if it's particularly hot weather, or if I have certain food waste in the bin, for hygiene reasons I put it out weekly.

I think fortnightly collections would encourage people who don't recycle at present to change their habits, otherwise they would have an overflowing bin to deal with!

[Trapper]

I live in stirling and it's been fortnightly for household waste here for a good few years. I have to say i don't have any problem with it and it certainly enourages you to recycle. We have two bins a grey 1 and a brown 1, the grey 1 for household waste and the brown one for cardboard and paper, we also hav a "recyclng" box which is for plastic and glass bottles, magazines, paper and cardboard and aluminium cans. The brown bin bin and grey bin are collected alternately evey week, so one week grey next week brown and the recycling box gets collected every week. I think t's a good thing cos it means you have to recycle everything or you would have your bin overflowing!Saying that there's only two of us in my household so don't know what it would be likewi a family.

legend.

[bill]

Started the fortnightly collections here in Corby 3weeks ago.Personally do not forsee any problem as long as you put household waste in a sealed bag before you put it in the bin.I think the biggest problem comes when you have a child in the house who is wearing disposable nappies,to have them lying about in a bin for two weeks can cause a problem.

[abbey craig]

i think its a load of rubbish

[Ninja Mania]

Waste watchers bags full of plastic bottles and shredded paper tend to clutter up the house so I have to put them outside in the garden, so can anyone tell me where I can take them too when they are full?,
I mean is there a plastic bottle bank or paper bank that I can leave them at myself, rather than having them blow all over the place and annoying the t..s off me.

[John S]

Ninja, Tesco's car park has these facilities or you can leave your bags up at Kintyre Recycling, the Roading(Wastewatchers as was) when they're open.

I don't believe that how we recycle, or how waste is collected, should be by decree from national government. There are lots of local factors which affect how this can be done. Even within the council area, local environmental factors come into play.

Our close, for example, it has 6 residences but doesn't have any wheelie bins, I got them taken away as they were a fire risk. We have a communal big bin in the street. Works great.

Consultation and information is the key. If you talk to people then you find out what the local issues are and can design a service to match them. Likewise if people are informed of the needs and issues of the council in collecting waste then they will be more appreciative of the need for change.

If councillors spent more column inches telling people what there plans and opinions were in the local press, and less column inches in pictures of the bleedin obvious then perhaps more good work would get done.

[Ship called Dignity]

I don't believe that how we recycle, or how waste is collected, should be by decree from national government. There are lots of local factors which affect how this can be done. Even within the council area, local environmental factors come into play.

Consultation and information is the key. If you talk to people then you find out what the local issues are and can design a service to match them. Likewise if people are informed of the needs and issues of the council in collecting waste then they will be more appreciative of the need for change.

Well put John That does sound like a man with a mission

If councillors spent more column inches telling people what there plans and opinions were in the local press, and less column inches in pictures of the bleedin obvious then perhaps more good work would get done.

Papers and readers like pictures however, draws you attention to it Quite agree with your comments - there are a number of things our Councillors do that we don't know about - things that they should be appluaded on for example.

Back to the topic - I am all for fort nightly collections. I think it is far too easy for us to throw everything in the bin rather than recycle. In Germany, for example, you have to recylce or you are fined. Germans are used to it so it isn't a problem.

[Beachcomber]

Whilst many households may manage with one wheelie bin collected once a fortnight those with larger households may well find it more difficult.

Ours has two adults and between three and five children, depending upon circumstances, and would be unable to manage with a fortnightly collection.

In some parts of Europe household waste is collected on a *daily* basis yet for some reason they pay less in tax than we do. Strange, eh?

[Ship called Dignity]

Ours has two adults and between three and five children, depending upon circumstances, and would be unable to manage with a fortnightly collection.

Not having a go, here btw. Honest question.

How do you know you wouldn't manage?

If for example you had to recycle paper, plastics, bottles, metals why would you not manage?

[abbey craig]

Waste watchers bags full of plastic bottles and shredded paper tend to clutter up the house so I have to put them outside in the garden, so can anyone tell me where I can take them too when they are full?,
I mean is there a plastic bottle bank or paper bank that I can leave them at myself, rather than having them blow all over the place and annoying the t..s off me.

for gods sake ninja your the same age as me and your sounding like an old git hehe

[Beachcomber]

Not having a go, here btw. Honest question. How do you know you wouldn't manage?

If for example you had to recycle paper, plastics, bottles, metals why would you not manage?

It's a fair question, and the answer is that we already recycle some of those things and yet our wheelie bin is usually pretty much full each week.

Occasionally we're away when from home the morning the bin men call and so have to go another week whilst the black plastic bags pile up in the shed.

You're a household of three who can probably manage with one wheelie bin and a fortnight between if you have to. In the event of a problem you can always pop across town to the dump to get rid of any excess.

For us up here it's a thirty mile round trip to the dump, assuming you have your own transport and can get away when they're open, and for anything bulky (such as the fridge/freezer in my back garden) you either need the use of a substantial vehicle or have to pay the council to collect it - on top of you annual council tax.

Unfortunately, the length and breadth of the country, the councils seem to have forgotten who they're supposed to be working for and treat the taxpayer as at best an inconvenience and at worst some kind of cash-cow.

[John S]

Whilst many households may manage with one wheelie bin collected once a fortnight those with larger households may well find it more difficult.

Ours has two adults and between three and five children, depending upon circumstances, and would be unable to manage with a fortnightly collection.

In some parts of Europe household waste is collected on a *daily* basis yet for some reason they pay less in tax than we do. Strange, eh?

I doubt if you would be expected to have a fortnightly collection without some additional capacity. If you ask for another bin you should get one.

[Ninja Mania]

Waste watchers bags full of plastic bottles and shredded paper tend to clutter up the house so I have to put them outside in the garden, so can anyone tell me where I can take them too when they are full?,
I mean is there a plastic bottle bank or paper bank that I can leave them at myself, rather than having them blow all over the place and annoying the t..s off me.

for gods sake ninja your the same age as me and your sounding like an old git hehe

Its the frustration caused by chasing them bags around the scheme thats making me sound like an old git.
Am not really you know, im the same age as you remember,,,, (you old git ye).