Bi weekly bin collections

[Fly]

Yes, they're fruit flies. I'll check the vent. Thanks

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> My large Brown Bin still not emptied dispite

> living in same road..

>

> Fox

xxxxxxx

That's very weird, because I'm sure they weren't just collecting mine, as they stopped for ages further down the road.

Very near your place in fact, Fox.

The whole recycling scheme seems to be in complete disarray :-S

[damzel]

I'm not sure why people aren't getting responses to their requests, I received a query regarding my online form (submitted on Tuesday evening) last night by email at 3:42am and a further response to my reply at 10am today (Sunday). They seem to be working outside of normal hours.

If you haven't received responses to your telephone or email requests, perhaps you should try the form (don't select any of the email addresses on the page, select "Save and Continue" at the bottom to get the form on page 2) https://www.southwark.gov.uk/forms/form/61/recycling-container_request

[peterstorm1985]

Sue Wrote:

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>

> The whole recycling scheme seems to be in complete

> disarray :-S

There may be outbreaks of disarray but not the whole scheme surely? Painting a bit of a bleak picture there Sue for all those council workers who do their very best to get things right.

[ruffers]

Working perfectly here. Have to confess I'm surprised how much of what we use is recycleable as well, blue bin nearly full.

[Sue]

peterstorm1985 Wrote:

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> Sue Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> >

> > The whole recycling scheme seems to be in

> complete

> > disarray :-S

>

> There may be outbreaks of disarray but not the

> whole scheme surely? Painting a bit of a bleak

> picture there Sue for all those council workers

> who do their very best to get things right.

xxxxxxx

Fair point, apologies, yes probably just outbreaks of disarray.

[Cassius]

Brown bins & green bins successfully collected today although after watching Dispatches last night which criticised 'co-mingling' as a form of recycing collection with a high wastage rate...................

[damzel]

We only had the brown bin emptied today (last week we had a successful brown and green collection). My blue bin won't last another week (I'm amazed how full it's got!)

[Sue]

damzel Wrote:

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> We only had the brown bin emptied today (last week

> we had a successful brown and green collection).

> My blue bin won't last another week (I'm amazed

> how full it's got!)

xxxxxx

I think the brown bin gets emptied every week, but the blue and green bins only on alternate weeks.

My green bin was left blocking my way out of my house, and my other bins thrown all over my plants - again.

Why do they think I have a bin recess?

[damzel]

I know the green and blue are fortnightly (alternate weeks), that's why I was expecting the blue one to be emptied with the brown today because the green and brown were emptied last week.

[Sue]

Sorry damzel, I misunderstood :-$

[mynamehere]

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3243518

Mr Hargreaves and Veolia and everyone else needs to watch this dispatch. I cannot understand why southwark or any other council invents private systems. There is a right and wrong way to recycle it is not a private option. Millions are being wasted because there is no understanding of what government leadership using world best knowledge means. And that includes telling industry exactly what materials they can use if at all

[Siduhe]

Cassius Wrote:

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> Brown bins & green bins successfully collected

> today although after watching Dispatches last

> night which criticised 'co-mingling' as a form of

> recycing collection with a high wastage

> rate...................

We had a discussion about this on the EDF a while back and I said separated recycling had to be better as a long term solution vs co-mingled recycling (based on my understanding of the lower reuse ability and higher wastage). What was said in response to me (can't remember by whom) was that the recycling rate for co-mingled recyling often goes up more than enough to compensate for this.

Now this is hardly a representative sample (one household, mine) but one thing that has gone up massively in the two weeks since the scheme started is the amount of comingled paper, plastic and bottles/cans we have put in for recycling. We've filled our blue bin to over the 3/4 mark whereas previously we were putting out one bag of paper and one box of bottles, cans and plastics. So maybe we need to factor in the potential for increase in the overall recycling rate as well.

[Edited to remove duplicate part of post!]

[damzel]

Sue Wrote:

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> Sorry damzel, I misunderstood :-$

Apologies if my post sounded grumpy, it wasn't supposed to!

[Sue]

damzel Wrote:

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> Sue Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Sorry damzel, I misunderstood :-$

>

> Apologies if my post sounded grumpy, it wasn't

> supposed to!

xxxxxxx

No it didn't sound grumpy, no probs, I hadn't read your first post properly :-$

[intexasatthe moment]

As an aside - and I'm still finding this unbelievable - community wardens ( red tabardy coats ) knocked on the doors of the terrace where my mother lives to tell her and her neighbours that

they are not allowed to put their bags of household refuse on their windowsills for health and safety reasons

Their reasoning was that the wind might blow them off the windowsill . They feel that the bags should be on the pavement .

( of course ,where dogs and foxes can rip them open and pedestrians fall over them .)

I hardly like to add that what is really needed is for Southwark to come and collect the bags - on the day they said they would would be nice ,but failing that ,another day .

But that seems a bit churlish ,it's early days for the new system and I'm sure the few hiccups will soon be sorted .

[Miacis]

Our blue bin not been emptied this or last week - think it is 3 weeks now - it's completley full.

Is this some sort of Eric Pickles plot afoot?

[TE44]

Agree mynamehere, employing a private company who took there employers to court to stop information being given to public

http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166262/1/5847#top

[Sue]

TE44 Wrote:

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> Agree mynamehere, employing a private company who

> took there employers to court to stop information

> being given to public

>

> http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/166262/1/5847#

> top

xxxxxx

Veolia is the company used by Southwark Council - apologies if that was why you posted this!

[James Barber]

Tonight Sue asked a public question at full council assembly about why are the blue wheelie bins so very blue and was the streets cape team consulted. It transpires the streetscape team went consulted.

Sue obtained commitment that future orders of blue wheelie bins will consider the hue of blue and hopefully choose a more subdued blue that. Doesn't stick out so much. Well done Sue.

[Sue]

I'm not sure if this is the thread where I had a rant a few weeks ago about the hideous bright blue wheelie bins, but anyway, I attended Southwark Council's assembly tonight, having put a written question in beforehand.

I think the final outcome was as good as I could have expected, and James Barber and I will be liaising to make sure it actually happens :)

My Written Question

Was an assessment made of the impact on the visual environment - particularly in streets of terraced houses - prior to introducing bright blue recycling bins rather than bins of a less obtrusive dark blue as used in other areas, and was the Southwark Streetscape team consulted?

The Written Response (received a couple of hours before the meeting)

We didn't carry out a specific assessment , however we have been using blue containers, currently boxes and bags, for our recycling collections for several years and we believe it is important to keep the colour theme consistent. Many of our residents know that green is for rubbish, brown is for garden (and now food waste) and blue is for recyclable materials.

To maximise recycling it is vital that contamination, where the wrong materials end up in the containers, is minimised. We believe that changing the colour scheme that has been in use in Southwark since 2001 would lead to confusion and an increase in contamination levels.

During the food waste pilot that we carried out last year, a number of residents and Ward Councillors specifically requested that the blue boxes were replaced with blue bins as they wanted additional storage capacity. The provision of these bins is in direct response to resident feedback.

With respect to consultation with the Streetscape team, this team is represented in all senior decision making around this project, but also as bins are generally contained within the property boundary consideration of their design is not what we have envisaged to be the purpose of the streetscene design manual. The design manual is intended to relate to the design of fixed physical assets on the highway such as lamp columns, benches, guard rails etc.

We do of course understand that the new blue bins won't be suitable for everybody, which is why we are still offering the old blue boxes as an alternative. This can be requested via the Council's Customer Contact Centre on 020 7525 2000.

The Verbal Supplementary Question I asked at the meeting itself

The blue recycling containers previously used in Southwark were an unobtrusive dark blue, whereas the blue wheelie bins are a very bright blue. As the effect on the visual street environment does NOT seem to have been taken into account in making this colour change, will less obtrusive dark blue bins be used in future for any new bins which may be required, now that this issue has been brought to your attention?

Verbal answer

Basically I received a commitment that yes, they will take aesthetics into account in future.

Hooray!

:)-D

PS - I know there is a feeling amongst some on the forum that this is a very trivial matter, but I see these bins as offensive visual noise which is definitely detracting from the appearance of the area. Just to be clear - I'm all for recycling, but there are more aesthetically pleasing options than what we have had foisted upon us by the council ....

[Sue]

James Barber Wrote:

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> Tonight Sue asked a public question at full

> council assembly about why are the blue wheelie

> bins so very blue and was the streets cape team

> consulted. It transpires the streetscape team went

> consulted.

> Sue obtained commitment that future orders of blue

> wheelie bins will consider the hue of blue and

> hopefully choose a more subdued blue that. Doesn't

> stick out so much. Well done Sue.

xxxxxx

Ooops sorry James, I must have been writing my post at the same time as yours and they crossed.

Yours is very much more concise than mine :))

[Cassius]

Sue - that blue is not trivial - it is an assult on the senses so I'd personally like to thank you for bringing this matter up.

[Sue]

Thanks Cassius, but it's a pity nobody was apparently consulted - or even told - about the colour of the new bins before they were ordered.

As it is, as virtually everybody who wants one now has their bin, and presumably the council has some spare ones, plus they last for years, the only real effect is that maybe now the council will take aesthetics into account in other similar areas of their work, because it's too late for my representation to make much practical difference at this point :-S

[charliecharlie]

HI Sopiesofa....

[quote name=Is it only me who thinks they could have made the kitchen 'caddy' a less disgusting colour? I know brown is the southwark garden/food waste colour but why does it have to be the same poo colour seeing as it's obvious what it's for! I'll get over it one day or just buy a better one.

Anyone recommend a good recycling bin for the kitchen? I've had a look online and their either extortionate or really ugly. I guess one with 2 equal sized sections would be best? I don't want to get one then regret it. I know I shouldn't care what it looks like as it's only a bin' date=' but I do.]

ref you comment above... Over the years I have worked out a good alternative (see pic attached) to the caddies available on the market - many of which are plastic or plastic lined. I use a china bowl and a side plate (and put the plastic bag inside), china is best because it is not porous (unlike plastic) so does not absorb or retain smells. I use my horrid 'little' brown Southwark caddy (which would take up far too much space in my tiny kitchen - and look digusting!!!) as my outside bin (which more than big enough for me as I do not waste much food) and the refuse collectors are qite happy to collect from that.

I now never go out and buy something new as a solution, as the waste collection requirements keep changing...

just adapt something you already have... thus less smell, less hideous, less land fill... etc.

Ref [Re]Design's strategies...

http://www.redesigndesign.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=44&Itemid=59reuse

reclaim

rethink

remake

remind

recycle