Green Dulwich turns Blue

[MazzyStar]

I agree Sue, it is visual noise/pollution, whatever you want to call it - there's no getting away from the fact those blue bins are the most disgusting artificial colour EVER and do ruin the landscape.

They are the bin equivalent of stone cladding. Couldn't we at least have had a muted grey bin?

[dylan76]

I hate these new bins they completely change the whole greeny feel of dulwich and they are impossible to hide. They had no consideration what so ever as to what these bins would do to the whole look and feel of the area. i feel embarrassed when our friends from outside london come to visit and see our bright blue bin sticking out like a sore thumb in our front garden. Shame on Southwark council.

[Sue]

DaveR Wrote:

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> "Yes it is. I have a psychology degree which

> included clinical psychology, and have done

> postgraduate research in psychology."

>

> Well done you. Have you read the research you

> posted a link to? Not just the abstract, but the

> methodology and findings? In your expert opinion

> does it support your assertion that bright blue

> bins are capable of impacting negatively on the

> mental health of ED residents to the same extent

> as constant loud music? Do you want to talk me

> through how you came to that conclusion? While

> you're at it, can you explain why, as has already

> been pointed out, you came out with this

> nonsense:

>

> "There are statistics indicating the relationship

> between the visual environment and crime, for

> example the New York zero tolerance of graffiti

> and litter."

>

> If you're going to make this kind of statement:

>

> "you'd be better advised not to make statements

> about things you clearly know nothing about"

>

> you'd better be on very firm ground. And it also

> puts you in a very poor position to complain about

> unpleasantness.

>

> If you don't like the look of the blue bins, just

> say so. Trying to invest your opinion with

> quasi-scientific authority plus showing us your

> certificates just ain't very persuasive.

>

> ETA - I have a whole load of experience of crime

> and disorder, much of it involving people with

> mental health problems, but it has zero relevance

> to my opinion on blue bins.

xxxxxxx

You are of course completely right on every count, and I bow to your far greater knowledge, experience and good humour :)

[DulwichFox]

I seem to be missing one of my Bins...

Anybody else:---

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS210CEF4mUUK0QJMOwVCkzZ41-bFjR6oC9t3ss_z4J3Y3VXOmxag

Fox:))

[Penguin68]

There is an irony to the fact that the new vivid blue bins are made out of almost indestructable plastic - which will last tens of lifetimes and never need replacing - so no chance that in our, or our children's, or our children's children's lives will there be any economic need to replace them with something less intrusive. The thoughtless decision of a local aparatchik has saddled us indefinitely with these eyesores. All in the name of the environment!

[*Bob*]

Oh come on - they'll only have a half-life of 6000 years. By then almost everything will be made out of bright blue plastic anyway - even the trees.

[Sue]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> Oh come on - they'll only have a half-life of 6000

> years. By then almost everything will be made out

> of bright blue plastic anyway - even the trees.

xxxxxxx

Yeh, it all reminds me of that Joni Mitchell line "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot".

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

With a pink hotel, a boutique

And a swinging hot spot

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got

?Til it's gone

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees

And put them in a tree museum

Then they charged the people

A dollar and a half just to see 'em

Don't it always seem to go,

That you don't know what you've got

?Til it's gone

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

:-S

[ajdoc]

Where were you all? when they demolished Waverly, gave the land to Lord Harris and said "build anything you like as long as it can hold a thousand pupils and completely disrupt the landscape in a way that a blue bin can only dream of".

[Sue]

Eh?

[intexasatthe moment]

I think ajdoc means " was there this much interest in the design of the Harris Academy on the Rye ? ".

Have to say I'm with adjoc on this .

[Evie]

I have just walked down Marmora Road and there are so many bins on the pavements, I personally find it depressing, it is relevant to where we live, you can be both concerned about this as well as the appalling state some people live in both this country as well as Africa, some people have worked bloody hard to get out of some awful area to live here and we dont deserve to have our environment ruined, all these bins on our pavements are extremely unsightly. surely they are not all necessarry, they are litter on the pavements and made of plastic which is environmentally bad. I hate the blue colour too, a bad decision, at least the brown and green blended in before. It used to bug me before when residents did not put their bins back after emptying and leave them on the pavement, now, there is not enough space in people's gardens to put them back even if they wanted.

[Sue]

Evie, I suggest you email the councillor whose email address is given in the first post on this thread.

At least he will be in no doubt what people think about his rubbish decision re the colour, even if it's too late to do much about it now.

ETA: And it might make you feel better!

[Evie]

HGi Sue

I am going to do that, I hope they will do something about it at least have less of them if nothing can be done about the colour, I personally would like the colour changed to something more acceptable that will blend in. This may seem ridiculous to some, but I feel this could be the start of the decline of our area. The street looks like a dumping ground now. It really isn't fair on those who have spent time, effort and money to improve their properties and help to improve the area.

[Sue]

Evie Wrote:

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> HGi Sue

> I am going to do that, I hope they will do

> something about it at least have less of them if

> nothing can be done about the colour, I personally

> would like the colour changed to something more

> acceptable that will blend in. This may seem

> ridiculous to some, but I feel this could be the

> start of the decline of our area. The street looks

> like a dumping ground now. It really isn't fair

> on those who have spent time, effort and money to

> improve their properties and help to improve the

> area.

xxxxxx

I don't think, in the current financial climate, that the council, however stupid they have been in their colour choice, will replace thousands of bins, particularly as they are not bio-degradable.

I think we're stuck with it.

All I managed to wring out of them was a promise to use a more appropriate shade of blue in the future, but since every house has already got one of the bright blue ones, I can't see that making much difference.

You do know you can have a box or continue to use your existing dark blue box, rather than having a wheelie bin?

[Evie]

I did not think for one minute they would change them, I just feel so angry about it. The bins not being bio degradable I think is part of the problem, not ours but certainly some future generations, why are they trying to phase out plastic bags when they are making so many other BIG things out of plastic? what was wrong with bins being made out of metal as before? they can be recycled and made into other things when no longer needed. I will be continuing with the blue box, do you know who I contact to get rid of the large blue bin? I really do not have that much waste, I am not a great fan of convenience or over packaged food.

Thanks

Evie

[Threadhead]

The blue bins do clash somewhat with the corporate colours of a certain upmarket supermarket chain - sadly this could delay an ED Waitrose indefinitely?

[Sue]

Evie Wrote:

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> I did not think for one minute they would change

> them, I just feel so angry about it. The bins not

> being bio degradable I think is part of the

> problem, not ours but certainly some future

> generations, why are they trying to phase out

> plastic bags when they are making so many other

> BIG things out of plastic? what was wrong with

> bins being made out of metal as before? they can

> be recycled and made into other things when no

> longer needed. I will be continuing with the blue

> box, do you know who I contact to get rid of the

> large blue bin? I really do not have that much

> waste, I am not a great fan of convenience or over

> packaged food.

>

> Thanks

> Evie

xxxxxxx

You can phone the recycling department on 020 7525 2000.

You will have to wait for ages going through various menus (tip - it's 2 then 2, you don't have to wait till the end before hitting the 2) and then for ages more while they drone on and on before telling you to hold on if you need to speak to somebody.

I've been waiting for a new smaller green bin for over a month.

I phoned today to find out where it was. The first person I spoke to cut me off, so then I had to go through the whole process again. (6)

Eventually spoke to somebody else, and all they could do was reorder it. So another few weeks (6)

[DaveR]

"This may seem ridiculous to some, but I feel this could be the start of the decline of our area"

It certainly seems ridiculous to me.

"The bins not being bio degradable I think is part of the problem"

If the bins bio-degraded all the rubbish would end up on the floor, which would be even worse, no?

[Evie]

Hi Dave.

I was right then, I knew it would seem ridiculous to some,

Yes if the bins were biodegradeable the rubbish would be all over the floor in maybe 10 years, or however long it takes biodegradable stuff to break down.

In the meantime maybe someone clever could come up with a solution, or maybe someone not so clever can remove all the excess bins and someone at the council can think of the consequences of making bad decisions that affect our environment and not bloody well do it again

[bawdy-nan]

It's not ideal and the streets look messy but here are some ideas:

- sharing bins? I can't believe that every household needs a big blue bin each and a big green one - especially 1 or 2 adult households. We barely produce a bin bag full of non recyclable rubbish Is there any posisbility the council could coordinate this?

- a big problem seems to be people leaving bins on the street or not having them on their property even when there is room

- bin covers #1

- bin covers #2

- you don't really need the big brown bin and the small one isn't really obstrusive

[Sue]

Evie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi Dave.

>

> I was right then, I knew it would seem ridiculous

> to some,

xxxxxxxx

Some people just want to mock for the sake of it, it seems :-S

[DulwichFox]

bawdy-nan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's not ideal and the streets look messy but here

> are some ideas:

>

> - sharing bins? I can't believe that every

> household needs a big blue bin each and a big

> green one - especially 1 or 2 adult households. We

> barely produce a bin bag full of non recyclable

> rubbish Is there any posisbility the council could

> coordinate this?

> - a big problem seems to be people leaving bins on

> the street or not having them on their property

> even when there is room

> - bin covers #1

> - bin covers #2

> - you don't really need the big brown bin and the

> small one isn't really obstrusive

sharing bins?

Although the Council seem to deny that Micro Chips will be fitted to bins to weigh contents and

charge each household.

I can see this happening in the future.

sharing bins? would then not be possible.

It's all part of the 'Big Plan'

Fox.

[Evie]

Maybe people should be fined for leaving their bins on the pavement, it would be difficult to implement but it may just be an incentive to make people put their bins back or make space for them, although I can see the problems already as some people just don't have the space. It's a difficult one.

[Penguin68]

Maybe people should be fined

Oh great - another revenue stream for the council - great ploy - force everyone to have more bins than they have space for, then fine them. Some of us need the big bins (my blue bin was overflowing by the time it was collected (and that was on time)) - I have the space off street, but many people don't.

Maybe the councillors who had this pig stupid idea should be fined for every eyesore bin left out there - but fine the victims, not the criminals, that's they way to do it.

[Sue]

Evie Wrote:

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> Maybe people should be fined for leaving their

> bins on the pavement

xxxxxx

I have for years been labouring under the impression that the bin people were supposed to replace the bins where they found them, is this wrong?

I had a bin recess built outside my terraced house, but they still leave the bin on the pavement (or worse, blocking the path to my front door) and just chuck the recycling boxes all over my plants.