Topic
Topic ID 7246
25/06/2013 by Capitalist piglet
Re-cycling - Inadvertently opting out...
A modern fable. Not such a big issue for me (honest - moves into rant mode)but may impact on those with larger families. I read the EHDC glossy leaflet, ordered a food caddy bin & (without, it would appear, reading some small print)inadvertently opted out of normal weekly bin bag collections.
Now my pink bag (along with those of three like-minded neighbours) sits sadly in my front garden unloved & uncollected for another week, whist the rest of the road look on with undisguised schadenfruede as theirs are taken away. They weren't tempted by the food caddies...
"Didn't you attend the meeting at Castle Hall?" said the woman from Bishop's Stortford sternly. I enquired whether she was related to the late Douglas Adams. I was then advised that The Folly is apparently a "narrow route" which makes sense but the implication, politely made, was that we should be lucky that on indetermined days of the year the people of the Island are not required to make pilgrimage to some central collection point, dragging with us our blue bins , our green bins, our garden waste sacks, our pink bin-bags & (in the case of four pitiable specimens) our brown food waste caddies... At least she didn't attempt to read me any of her poetry.....
Replies
Reply ID 94395
25/06/2013 by Darcy Sarto
Oh freddled gruntbuggly - I do hope they have allowed you to opt back in!
The comparison of the EHDC recycling Stasi with Vogons is priceless - resistance is useless!
Reply ID 94396
25/06/2013 by sloopjohnb
You are not alone CP. I emailed East Herts to state that this 'meet the residents evening' at Castle Hall was not compulsory and neither was I handed a voting slip to 'opt in' or even 'opt out'. I am quite prepared to do my bit and have two blue bins, two green bins, one small caddy and one large caddy and a supply of brown sacks for grass cuttings etc. The problem is pink bags. These can be used for general household waste but having 'opted in' these will only be collected twice weekly. Now being a 3+1 family we tend to build up on the nappies, nappy sacks, non recyclable plastic food wrappings and containers and tend to over subscribe to the four bags collection quota, or two bags a week. BTW you cannot order, collect or otherwise procure any more pink bags once you have used up your six month quota. Any other colour apparently will do, so I am told. I have kept the email just in case. What we are meant to do with the extra pink plastic sacks is not made clear by East Herts Council.
A top man from the contractors came round the Island last week hence the increase in bags not collected. I did tell him that I thought up until then his men were doing an excellent job in ridding the Island of waste. Now of course they are working to the rules as laid down and I shall have to be a bit more adventurous in how I dispose of surplus rubbish that is meant for landfill.
In fact our rubbish collection was meant to be made much easier by the investment in a suitable engineered and designed vehicle that could cope with our 'narrow route' as described. What they meant is one that can get over Folly bridge.
I am having trouble getting a large amount of household items (I mean more than six items) cleared from my back garden because the contractor East Herts uses is not happy with access. Explaining that not so long ago a very large refuse lorry with an appliance for lifting two wheelie bins at once was a common sight on the Island did not cut any ice. In the absence of what I considered an amicable and responsible solution involving paying East Herts an agreed fee for getting rid properly I am left with a ecological moral dilemma. Do I pay for a man with a van who might or might not dispose of it properly or leave it in a random place of his choosing; or dump the lot myself in the Lea Navigation in the small wee dark hours and let it float down stream to a distant borough who has an alternative rubbish disposal plan. Any suggestions/offers welcome.
Reply ID 94397
25/06/2013 by Darcy Sarto
"They are one of the most unpleasant races in the Galaxy. Not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous."
Reply ID 94398
25/06/2013 by mdja
quote:
Originally posted by sloopjohnb
I am having trouble getting a large amount of household items (I mean more than six items) cleared from my back garden ... Any suggestions/offers welcome.
Up my way I regularly see what I can only describe as "rag and bone men" driving round in a flatbed truck ringing a bell, they'd probably take whatever you have in your back garden if they ever cruise round the island...
Alternatively are these "household items" useful? If so you could put them up on freecycle.
Reply ID 94400
25/06/2013 by sloopjohnb
quote:
Up my way I regularly see what I can only describe as "rag and bone men" driving round in a flatbed truck ringing a bell, they'd probably take whatever you have in your back garden if they ever cruise round the island...
Thanks for the reminder. I have seen or rather heard him on the Island. Am waiting for a return visit. We have some metal stuff and I am happy to ask him to quote for the lot. Unfortunately all of it is well past its use by date.
What irks me is that I was willing to pay East Herts quote. It seems that they just sub contract so not actually their decision despite me having a pleasant chat with the Inspector who called round.
Reply ID 94401
25/06/2013 by Capitalist piglet
sloop - know someone who can sort that metal stuff ( in fact you do too!) See you later or on the morrow & put you in right direction
6 replies