Bins and fortnightly collections
I posted about this in my West Sussex community, but seeing as there isn’t much activity there, I thought I’d see what other people’s experiences are like around the UK.
So here is the article in the local paper about some changes to bin collections in the Horsham district.
Basically, if it is not that unusual and lots of places already collect general waste once every two weeks, how does that work in reality? Have you got experience of this where you live? Are there problems with the smell? Vermin? Anything else?
Works fine here in Mid Devon. However, we have a weekly food waste collection with dedicated caddies that can be closed securely. Food waste, therefore, shouldn’t end up in the general waste so no issue with vermin. We now have a pretty efficient recycling collection system too.
The issue isn’t so much about fortnightly bin collections as it is about having a joined up refuse and recycling process.
That’s the thing, there isn’t a separate food waste collection here. Other than garden waste and recycling, everything goes in the general waste bin.
In Kent we have a big wheelie bin for recycling which is always full and collected fortnightly a smallish curbside secure box for food waste and a small kitchen bin for waste food that you empty into the curbside box which is collected weekly, everything else goes in black sacks, they also have the brown bins for garden waste if you buy one. It’s not so bad except not everyone has the curbside boxes yet so flats still put everything in black sacks and clear sacks for recycling. so you still sometimes get the mess the foxes leave. They are pretty good at collecting though., both experiences in Kent here in Gravesham and further East in Greenhithe were both no complaints ever couldn’t imagine living in an area where food waste was left for any longer though. They don’t collect the glass in this area you have to carry that to the glass banks.
We don’t have a separate food waste collection, everything goes in the general waste bin and is collected fortnightly. Everyone was up in arms about it when it was introduced but it works fine.
We’ve had fortnightly collections of general waste for years. It’s ok for just the two of us but families sometimes struggle to fit everything in the bin. We also have alternating fortnightly collections of recyclable waste and brown/ garden waste so in total we have 3 wheelie bins and a box for cardboard. Laughable thing is that the huge recycling plant that was built, at great expense, on fields at the back of my old home (after years of planning disputes and very costly legal wrangles) has now, after just 6 years, closed because the council can’t afford to keep it running. They say it is cheaper to landfill recyclable waste than to actually recycle it.
I should have mentioned that all food waste goes in general waste but we’ve never really have an issue with smell / vermin although I don’t keep my bin too close to the house just in case.
While on holiday once in Northumberland the seagulls somehow managed to get at the waste bin and we got back to waste carnage all over the lawn!
It seems that everywhere general waste is collected every couple of weeks, there are other types of waste collection that are done weekly. The most common being a separate food waste collection.
I foresee ‘problems’ for the Horsham District of West Sussex, because currently there are no plans to do anything weekly. We get garden waste and recycling collected on alternate weeks already and the proposal is to do the same with general waste, including food waste.
We have weekly recyclables, garden waste (at an extra cost) and food waste. Our waste bin is every other week. I think Bristol was one of the first councils to introduce this scale of recycling – we just about managed when the kids were in nappies but its much easier now. Certain times of year e.g. Christmas and when we have family to stay are usually more challenging but we have neighbours with the same size bin, who don’t have children. Between us, we can usually find ‘extra’ bin space on the odd occasion where we can’t fit it all in.
We have had no problems with vermin but out of preference, I now use a compostable food waste bag to eliminate washing out the deep bin weekly and getting covered in detritus. This also reduces flies and smells.