Green Dulwich turns Blue

[electricblue]

Does anyone share my view that the new electric blue recycling wheeled bins are an offensive eyesore and destroy the visual amenity of the area? There can be few colours which match this for their impact - hence it is used for many street signs, including motorways, specifically to attract the eye of the motorist from long distances.

Southwark Council has ignored its responsibility to consider the visual impact of the 45,000 bins ordered, most of which cannot be hidden from view. The environmental department should be called to account for woefully poor judgement and for allowing such an inexplicable and dreadful decision which will affect us all for many years.

Why was a more muted, sober colour (to match the existing green and brown in tone) not chosen and how can a department with environmental responsibilities claim to have any environmental credentials when they have so negligently addressed this issue in a way that so pollutes our tree-lined and green borough?

This unforgiveable error must be acknowledged and the bins replaced with a more muted colour which still differentiates them from those we already have. Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling should hang his head in shame! Is this not a failure of duty and personal responsibility to the householders of Southwark?

If you agree, please comment here and, most importantly, email your views to [email protected]

(cc [email protected])

[Loz]

Whilst I agree with you, I would rather the council spend the money it would cost to replace 45,000 bins far more wisely. The mistake has been made - we are just going to have to live with it.

[kford]

I completely agree. The place looks overrun with blue bins. No consideration whatsoever to the visual impact on the environment.

This should've been the solution, used on the continent and in Australia:

http://www.zero-2-land.ndo.co.uk/Split%20wheelie%20bin..jpg

But, as Loz says, it's too late and the money has been spent.

[ed_pete]

You could always get one of these...

[puzzled]

is the original poster trying to suggest that the bins may be a hazard and cause accidents, or does he just not like blue. and aren't there enough things to worry our pretty little heads about already?

[tarafitness]

ed_pete Wrote:

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> You could always get one of these...

snazzy!

you'd have to ensure you put your bin on the street though on collection day as the bin men would never spot that!

I have three bins now, that's a lot of hedges!

Quite like blue though...

[Vilmos]

To tell the truth, I hadn't noticed until the subject was raised.

There is so much going on that contrasts with the environment in E. Dulwich, not least the building that has taken place over the past two decades. When I first moved here E. Dulwich was heavily built, yes, but with many open spaces which since the mid eighties have gradually disappeared until it is like living in a sardine can now.

One particular item irks me continually. I live on Barry Road, and the Victorians who built it (bless their cotton socks) put the church door at the top of the road bang in its centre so no matter where on the road you live, if you look westward, up the road, there is the church door reminding you of your Christian duties.

So, what does some clueless individual from the highways do? They go and plant a NO ENTRY sign bang in front of it, instantly spoiling the the whole effect. So help me one dark night I am going up there with a hacksaw and I am going to fell the thing.

[Domme_Jay]

That is genius!

[DulwichFox]

I was thinking about a Box in a Box.

The Blue Box fits inside Brown Box. Not perfectly but one could of been designed

if any thought had gone into the project.

Brown Bin Compost Garden Waste.

Blue Box or whatever colour for Food, which could be collected separately if no garden waste.

Would save a lot of space.

Fox..

[DrinkingBuddy]

I for one think the council should be applauded for putting so much effort into how the collection works and in making recycling easy in face of the massive cuts we are all facing. Ok the blue bins aren't the best but I don't think any wheelie bin is going to win a beauty contest. Congrats to all involved for not just dropping collections to once a fortnight and to hell with the recycling I say.

[wee quinnie]

I agree with DrinkingBuddy.

As for the notion that blue bins are destroying the visual environment - are they worse than cars (the colour is irrelevant), parked everywhere??

[aquarius moon]

Why is everyone on all these threads, making such a fuss about the colour of the bins?

Have you really got nothing else better to worry about?

If it bothers you that much, google 'wheelie bin stickers', there are loads of sites that sell them,

decorate your bins to your own individual tastes.

I've put woodland animal stickers over all mine & they look really cool now!

[stephen509]

I live in a house of 3 and they delivered 3 blue bins for my front garden! No other flats have more than 1! Got them coming to take 2 away as I have a total of 7 bins in my front garden!

[bloonoo]

Everyone complaining about the colour of bins or how frequently they're collected or the size of the bin needs to go and live in africa or somewhere and realise there's far more to life than the colour of their bin???? Be grateful we even have bins...

[charliecharlie]

yes, of course bloonoo, we are lucky, but if you are going to implement a new waste system borough wide, at least take into consideration the street scape. You CAN design to minimise negative impact.

or you could just ignore the city 'backdrop' and do something that it totally hideous, that does not consider the impact on the housing stock and front gardens...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/29/article-1298578-0A9CB035000005DC-551_468x286.jpg

BADLY thought through Southwark... and the larger bins (certainly bigger than two blue boxes) just encourage a greater volume of waste (aren't we supposed to be encouraging people to produce lest waste not more?????) Though of course Southwark will of course be making money out of the waste we chuck out... so more is more as far as they are concerned.

Are you in cahoots with the supermarkets, Southwark!!!!!????

[bloonoo]

How does it encourage more waste? People aren't going to think 'oh, my bin is larger now so I will purchase more stuff to throw away the packaging' or am I missing something here?? I don't have a problem with the bins at all - i think it's great we can finally 'recycle' food waste, great we no longer have to separate glass, plastic, cans, and paper, and I think it should encourage more people to recycle because they don't need to sort items any more, plus tetrapaks can now be recycled. I really don't see how the colours of the bins should affect the positivity the council are trying to do to make the environment better and there's much more in life to moan about. Anyway I won't comment any more on this thread as I, in turn, am moaning, so I will go and busy myself with my other problems!!

[James Barber]

The picture you've posted does look shoking but could be improved if the two flats agreed to share bins. I suspect they will no longer need two brown or green bins and depending on how many residents may well not need two blue bins.

I really would encourage households to consider sharing bins with neighbours and asking for any surplus bins to be collected - 020 7525 2000.

[kford]

A big recycling bin can only be a good thing; better if the 'everything else' bin was half the size, or contained a splitter with one half for composting and one half for the non-recyclable.

[charliecharlie]

Hello Bloonoo, I think if you give someone a smaller bin and they may just think a bit more about their shopping habits and the waste they generate...

for example... need tomatoes... thinks...'shall I buy this double plastic wrapped product or shall I support a local shop that uses brown paper bags'

the bigger bin you have the more space for more (and more and more) packaging you have...

I have now given myself a smaller bag for my bi-monthly collection to try to encourage reducing the amount of waste I create..

surely Southwark should be encouraging us to reuce our waste not increase it...

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00871/money-graphics-2008_871280a.jpg

[*Bob*]

bloonoo Wrote:

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> Everyone complaining about the colour of bins or

> how frequently they're collected or the size of

> the bin needs to go and live in africa

Wow - thought provoking and relevant stuff.

I mean, earlier today I was planning on buying some shoes but then I thought: hang on.. in 'Africa' (or somewhere), they probably don't have shoes (or something) so instead I put a brown paper bag on each foot - and was grateful.

[DaveR]

It's like a new game. Just complete the sentence according to your own enviro-aesthetic tendencies:

Everyone complaining about the colour of bins or

how frequently they're collected or the size of

the bin needs to go....out for a few drinks and relax

or

Everyone complaining about the colour of bins or

how frequently they're collected or the size of

the bin needs to go......count the number of pebble-dashed houses around and re-think their priorities

[*Bob*]

What about Russia? Stalinist Russia. They probably wouldn't have worried about the colour of the bins there either. That works too.

If you don't like the bins - back to Russia.

[Sue]

In case anybody missed it on

This thread

I got a public commitment from Barrie Hargrove at the council assembly last night to take aesthetic considerations into account when deciding on bin colours for future orders.

Sadly, of course, that doesn't help the present situation as they're hardly going to spend enormous amounts of money changing the shade of blue of bins they've already bought and distributed.

(6)

[mrure]

For goodness sake, does it really matter what colour they are. Have you nothing else to worry about and concern yourself with.

[James Barber]

mrure, it absolutely matters what our streetscape looks like. It affects crime rates.