IanC
Posts:119
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| 29 Jul 2005 18:57:02 |
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| We have all been recycling now for some time.
Alex Johnstone (MSP) would like to know if we have any suggestions to further improve the amount that is recycled. I quote from Alex's letter to KCC
".. I write to ask for your suggestions on how to increase the amount of waste that is currently recycled. For example, are there examples of good practice in your area that reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill? Do you perhaps feel that there are opportunities to recycle waste material that are currently being missed? . ."
If you have any suggestions I will forward them on behalf of Kingswells. |
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IanC
Posts:119
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| 29 Jul 2005 19:22:42 |
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| The Council will only empty bins of a particular colour on a particular day. This means that if I have hedge clippings I have to put some in a brown bin, and this is recycled. The remaining clippings I put in two black bins, and this waste goes to landfill.
If the Council changed their policy to allow waste of a certain type to be collected on a certain day in a bin of any colour then all the garden waste could be recycled.
This problem will only get worse when black bins are emptied once every fortnight instead of weekly. |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 29 Jul 2005 22:27:13 |
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| Smaller bins are the simple answer to the recycling issue.
it's so obvious!!!!!!!!!!!
why this simple solution has been overlooked I do not know.
Coxy just dump your trimmings along with your grass cuttings over the fence like the rest of us, it's a mulch that keeps the weeds down & when it decays it's a good compust.
Waste oil - just let it escape while using the Park & Ride facility. best done at night, making full use of the ample lighting & no bugger will see you.
Paper - just burn it or give the paperboy/girl some money to stop delivering the free issues
:msn_wink: :msn_wink: :msn_wink: :msn_wink: :msn_wink: :msn_wink: :msn_wink: |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 01 Aug 2005 07:07:32 |
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| We all pay enough council tax as it is, if we suggest any improvements I bet we would be charged for the privilege of implementing them!!!
Anyway whether it is rubbish or recycled material it all goes to the same landfill site! |
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IanC
Posts:119
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| 01 Aug 2005 07:37:40 |
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| You may well be right about paying for any improvements - you get nothing for nothing.
Aberdeen City Council is committed to achieving the targets for recycling. Recycled material [b]is[/b] recycled - it does not go to landfill. There will be huge fines to pay if the targets are not met – guess who will have to pay that bill . . . you got it in one – [b]you[/b]. In addition to fines you may even find that you have to pay to have excess waste uplifted.
This is a serious matter.
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 02 Aug 2005 02:41:10 |
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| Is there any hard evidence that the recycling of Paper, Bottles, Plastic, etc, are actually being reused????
What actually goe's up in smoke or in the land fill is a rather interesting subject.
The recycling is only a way to start to make people think [b]green [/b] it's just not cost effective to turn waste into new products, when there is a plentiful supply of new raw materials.
maybe in say 10 years we will recycle due to necessity.
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IanC
Posts:119
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| 03 Aug 2005 13:52:25 |
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| It looks as though there is scope for making the public more aware.
How should this be done?
What would need to be done before you take this seriously?
What statistics are required and how should they be presented? |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 11 Aug 2005 10:19:20 |
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| I know that our household could put out 3-4 times the amount of paper that we do for recycling, but the bag is not big enough. The council suggested we get 2 instead of 1!
Surely the answer would be to increase recycling collections to once a week, or for the council to provide each household with larger bins and bags for recycling?
To be honest, we just put a lot of waste paper in the normal bin, as we do not always have time to take it to the skip. If the council provided better collection options, we would recycle more- simple. We want to! |
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Bridget
Posts:19
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| 11 Aug 2005 11:41:16 |
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| I completely agree with Gill. We could also put out a full bag and black box each week. As well as the size of the bag being a problem, I wonder if the material could be improved? The bag has to be stored inside, but then can get soaked and blow away on collection day. Perhaps a proper bin could be an option? The lid of the black box is also a pest on windy days. Could there be a hinge? Just a thought. |
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IanC
Posts:119
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| 11 Aug 2005 18:20:13 |
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| Gill and Bridget,
In Lanarkshire they don't sort waste at the kerbside. They use a blue wheelie bin into which they put all their recyclable waste. The waste is sorted at the other end. This is certainly simpler than the system used in Aberdeen.
I have two bags, and I know some have two boxes. The problem is where you keep all the containers we have for waste. There is certainly a limit to the space I want to allocate to waste collection. For others there is a limit to the space they have. I don't think ACC have thought about the practicalities of the system they have adopted.
ACC recommend putting the box out without the lid, so this should not be a problem.
There are plans to collect recycled waste once a week, but this also means that other waste is collected once a fortnight. This has three implications that I can see.
1) The volume - do you currently use less than 50% of the capacity of your black wheelie bin.
2) How do you feel about holding on to rotting waste for 2 weeks, or 4 if you forget to put out the bin? Holiday time could also pose some problems.
3) Currently, if there is too much recyclable waste we can take it to Park & Ride. There will not be a similar contingency if we have too much normal waste.
What are your views?
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 07:50:29 |
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| The system used seems ackward.
My black box lid is for ever blowing away. The white bags barely hold a week of newspapers and is usually soaking wet. Also two wheelie bins, a black box and a white bag looks untidy sitting at the bottom of my driveway.
Why do't they use a bigger black bin that has two/three compartments for paper/glass etc and other waste.
Empty the bin into the bin lorry and sort it else where. Surely three visits to collect waste is expensive - one visit to collect all the waste at once must be more effective - consider the economies of scale. But a collection would be good, we must be at the end of a run as there are numerous occasions when our bins are not emptied on their due date. |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 08:28:05 |
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| On the two occasions I have put out my black box and sack the binmen have not emptied them.
As far as I am aware I have folowed the correct procedure and placed them on the kerb.
No explanation as to why it has not been lifted.
So guess what.It all goes in the black bin now - Im not going to waste my time sorting out the rubbish for the binmen to ignore it. |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 08:36:50 |
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| Rubbish collected once a fortnight.
I suggest that they supply everybody with another bin.
Most families will definately need it.
Also raises the question of why our poll tax is so dear?
In Wellside the council dont maintain the public areas so its street lighting,water and refuse collection.
Oh and clearing snow from the paths on the 6 or so days every year when it is required.
Money for old rope!!
Sooner they bring in a local income tax the better - as long as it targets the right people - those with kids who use these services more - 2 and more car families and the likes. |
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Bridget
Posts:19
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| 12 Aug 2005 09:04:21 |
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| I don't want too normal rubbish bins (if that is what you are suggesting)! I hardly have the room for the bins I already have, and to add to this would be a dreadful eyesore.
I also have real concerns about the suggestions for collecting normal waste only once every two weeks. The smell will be dreadful - do we want to attract rats?
Unless you keep careful track of the black box and brown bin dates, it is easy to miss the correct day, or put them out at the wrong time.
I think it is ironic that householders are told not to put out their bins too early (to lie in the street), yet it appears to be okay for the collections to sometimes take place the next day. Surely, the binmen should not be given rounds that they cannot cover in the time allocated?
Oops - ranting again! |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 10:08:46 |
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| Re. sorting the bottles, cans etc on the spot - I was surprised to see that this was the case. Surely more cost effective to do this at a central depot.
Surely if they collect recyclables each week, you're not going to have much left to put in your regular bin, so every other week should be manageable.
Rats? - only if you leave your plastic bags lying outside on the ground surely?
Trouble keeping track of the collection days? It ain't rocket science!
Poll tax - went out in 1991
Local Income Tax - I'm all in favour, and while you're at it raise VAT to 50% on "luxury" items so that those with the disposable income pay more.
However, a single parent with 6 kids is probably not going to pay a penny local income tax, so gets their rubbish collected for free... |
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Bridget
Posts:19
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| 12 Aug 2005 12:03:44 |
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| Re my comment about rats. If a household has two adults and a number of children in it, I'm not convinced all the rubbish would fit neatly into one bin collected every two weeks (also remember another poster's comment about holidays). I'd rather have some bins emptied weekly only half-full than others brimming over with rubbish (or having to have 2 per household).
Re keeping track of collection days. As black boxes and brown bins are only every second week and on different days, I wouldn't be surprised if some households accidentally put things out on the wrong day. Surely one day each week would be more logical? |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 12:27:23 |
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| God help us all - what a bunch of helpless cretins.
Would you like the council to come around and wipe your a*** for you!!!
Take some responsibility for managing your own waste.
Make a point of not buying crap with so much packaging in the first place.
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 12 Aug 2005 14:41:42 |
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| << Also raises the question of why our poll tax is so dear?
In Wellside the council dont maintain the public areas so its street lighting,water and refuse collection. >>
If you read the leaflet that comes with your Council Tax statement, you'll find that your money also goes to pay for:
Education 40%
Social Work 25%
Police & Fire 9%
Arts & Recreation 8%
Roads & Lighting 4%
+ various others.
Unfortunately I don't get a discount even though I don't make use of the education or social work system:msn_sad: |
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IanC
Posts:119
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| 12 Aug 2005 16:58:26 |
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| It would be easier to respond to posts if they were not all made by 'guest'. Please add a name, a nickname, or even a letter.
[quote]Empty the bin into the bin lorry and sort it else where. Surely three visits to collect waste is expensive [/quote]
The waste is collected on one day. All the waste is emptied into a sorting machine where tins, bottles, paper etc are all separated out. This is a much better way. It is much simpler for the householder, but requires technology that ACC dosen't have. |
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kingswells.guest
Posts:0
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| 18 Aug 2005 07:13:01 |
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| Recycling! Glad to see it's raised some thoughts...
It's quite shocking how far behind we seem to be as a nation on the recycling front. Am very glad to see that kerbside collections are now in place. It should be obligatory to recycle waste....in Austria households get fined if they put recyclable material into landfill.
I am not the greenest of consumers but try to recycle all that I can. I have put extra bins out filled with paper - the council collection took it all. This should be acceptable all the time, but it appears that some people haven't had some collected.
I also try to reduce my waste by watching what I buy - ie reducing the amount of packaging that I purchase. Anyone else keen to do this, as a suggestion I have a Thursday delivery of organic fruit and veg (to the door) which comes loose in a crate - thus avoiding all that wasteful packaging!!
Anyway, the council should collect everything that is placed on the kerbside for recycling, irrelevant of whether its in a black box or the bag for papers...:msn_toung |
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