I say southwark - fortnightly bin collections

[Fuschia]

Thanks James for your reply.. I agree the council's position is stupid though. Most counsils now have comingling and offer large receptacles/bins. To expect us to have multiple blue crates - we have 4 - is just silly!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Idiot question: where do wine corks (real, not plastic) go?

[James Barber]

Hi Peckhamgatecrasher,

Real wine corks are wood and should go in brown garden waste recycling.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Thanks.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Thanks. (I may need an extra brown bin!)

[charliecharlie]

[quote=Thanks James for your reply.. I agree the council's position is stupid though. Most counsils now have comingling and offer large receptacles/bins. To expect us to have multiple blue crates - we have 4 - is just silly!

]

another option would be to try to buy food/products that come with less packaging... just a thought...

[Southwark Council]

Hi Fuschia,

The recycling we offer on this pilot includes co-mingling (i.e. putting all recycling materials into one receptacle and the container is sorted at the depot). We currently do this across the vast majority of homes on our estates as well and there are plans to offer co-mingling across the borough next year.

If you have any further questions, the team will be happy to assist you. You can reach them at [email protected]

Hope this helps,

Rebecca

e-communications officer

[James Barber]

Hi Rebecca,

I think you've missed the point. Many residents want blue wheelie bins for their co mingled recycling and produce sufficeint to warrant this but council policy is refusing this simple obvious request.

As for co mingling. The Lib Dems at the start of the year were leading on co mingled being rolled out across ALL of Southwark by this November. This has been delayed by the new administration until November 2011. One can only assum this was part of the horse trading by Labour with the contractor Veolia that IF Labour wanted food waste recycling now 4 years aearlier than the contract they'd have to delay co mingling across all Southwark and move to fortnightly rubbish collections.

[cate]

Does co-mingling include putting newspapers etc. with the other stuff?

[James Barber]

hi cate,

Yes, it means being able to put newspaper, paper, card, plastics, metals all in the same container. It gets thrown in the rubbish truck and sorted out centrally. Due to how much easier people find co mingling it usually sees a step increase in recycling rates. Hence why blue wheelie bins making co mingling so very easy are a popular idea.

[cate]

James, are the new blue boxes bigger than the old ones? I am still using my newspaper bags and old blue box?

Is co-mingling only 'allowed' in the pilot areas?

[James Barber]

Hi cate,

All blue boxes are the same size. Hence the requests for 240 L blue wheelie bins.

All the food waste 'pilot' recycling areas have also gone co mingling.

Many other areas of Southwark are now co mingled recyclnig but not all. If you're unsure please call 020 7525 2000 to check.

[Gussy]

I've been in touch with Southwark council and they've replied promptly to be fair, but sadly denied me a blue wheelie bin. I am in a house, so their response is to send more boxes. I'm up to 3 now.....may need a forth. Like a previous poster, I'm not willing to pile up bags on top of my boxes in my front garden, for rats, foxes, and the wind to toss about. They are a pain to faff about with, with lids all over the shop and balancing them on top of each other. My brown wheelie on the other hand is lucky if it gets 2-3 bags of food waste lingering in the bottom of it each week. As previously stated, it seems the wrong way around, for our family at least. Will fill out the questionnaire when its updated.

[Southwark Council]

Thanks to everyone for their continued interest in the recycling pilot. As mentioned before, we really do appreciate everyone?s views and will take them (plus the emails we've received and responses to the questionnaire) into account as the pilot is evaluated.

As you've identified, we do have particular types of containers for different types of waste and recycling but we always try to be flexible where we can and take residents? individual needs into account. The standard container for the kerbside recycling collection in the pilot area is the blue box. On occasion we have issued 240 litre blue wheelie bins to individual residents, however there are a limited number available and at this time we need to prioritise people who live in small blocks of flats, or houses converted into three or more flats.

We plan to extend commingled recycling to all parts of Southwark in 2011, but have not yet made a firm decision on what type of containers to use in the long term ? we will be reviewing feedback from the pilot to help inform this. Ultimately, we don?t want to spend public money buying a lot of blue wheelie bins now which might not be used when the commingled collection is extended next year.

Please do continue to send us your feedback.

Waste management team

020 7525 2000

[concita]

In other european countries, rubbish is collected every day, why is so different in UK? Also the recycling bins are more attractive, ours are an eye sore.

[James Barber]

Hi 'Southwark Council'

Has the recycling feedback qunetioannire been updated as suggested to reflect the responses given on this thread?

If not when will it be?

Avoiding asking questions about blue wheelie bins and nappies means many qho have views on this wont respond and those that do as adhoc comments wont necessarily see them analysed.

so until you have properly produced a surveys desgiend around the users already given feedback I'd hope many would withhold particpating.

[peckhamboy]

In fairness, the questionnaire has an "any other comments" section at the end. I have quite happily added my tuppence about nappies and bin sizes there. Surely better to do that than to withhold comments until the form is redesigned?

[James Barber]

Hi Peckhamboy,

Trouble with such sections is that people are much less likely to add such comments. So real opportunity missed.

Also, worth asking residents how many blue boxes and bags they typically use in a week to give an idea of whether blue wheelie bin might be used long term also which streets seem keener to recycle.

I'm sure the questionairre can be improved in other ways as it feels a bit knee jerky at the moment rather than considered.

[boomerang]

Rather than issue more bins, (most people have more than 1 green bin - well on my road anyways) why can't we just change the colour of the bin lids? Or stick a sticker on it? I live on a converted house with two flats and we don't need another bin at all and we have a green bin which seems a little redundant since we're co-mingling recyclables and filling less 'other' waste. I really think the blue boxes are too small and not secure enough in the event of adverse weather/cats and foxes to rummage etc.... it seems logical to me to get rid of the blue boxes and just convert (for those with more than 1 green bin) a green bin into recycling.... and those that don't have an extra green bin to be issued with one????

[intexasatthe moment]

boomerang for mayor !

What a good idea .

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Hear, hear!

[computedshorty]

As I see it.

I have three Wheelie bins. There is a Green bin, a Blue bin and a Brown bin,

I get confused about what bin should I use to place my household waste in.

My child?s cycle got damaged so it must go in one, should it go in the Green?

it cant go in the Blue bin because it is just for paper glass and cans as seen.

Should it go in the Brown bin for ground fill? But it will take a time to rust,

never mind I heard when the field is full its being taken over by National Trust.

I am puzzled who owns the bins, they just arrived here as I gave no signature,

I?m told that at all times I am to keep them in and make sure that they are secure.

There does not seem to be a number on them or any other way of recognition,

so how am I to know that the one I bring back in is my one in clean condition.

Keep them on the path leading to your house, never mind space for my pram,

what with our bikes there, and those empty milk bottles cause a constant jam.

I must put out the bin after seven o?clock, put it on the pavement outside the gate,

it wont get emptied if the lid is not shut down on it tight, or if its put out late.

There is not much room to pass on the pavement where all the bins now are,

some of the parked cars now are getting bumped and the occasional scar.

Who is the person responsible for any damaged caused by where its stands,

so don't think it?s the Councils fault its pointed out as it is out of their hands.

What happens if a Blue Wheelie bin gets damaged, found its beyond repair,

just how will I decide how to dispose of it, I am beginning to despair.

It is made of Blue plastic that should be for recycling but I?m in distress,

just think of all these thousands bins that one day will lose their usefulness.

I am going to paint them all to match my house and privet hedge, Light Green,

the only way they can tell what colour it is inside is lift the lid then it can be seen.

There is talk of prosecutions for wrong items placed into the bins put out today,

whether it is just talk that in time it will be disproved as just a case of hearsay.

Take your bin in as soon as it is emptied, just pop home from work if you can,

or you get a ticket for obstruction from that lurking Cleansing Gentleman.

Of course there is a bright side eventually no bin when you meet your maker,

it will be a wooden box brought for your disposal by the friendly undertaker.

I cant be bothered with all that messing about, I know that it?s a dreadful sin,

I go out after my neighbours have gone to work and put my waste in their bin.

My other neighbours said they are going to tell what they had seen I?d done,

I said I did not mind there is plenty left and they could by all means have some.

I might decide they have room inside their bin, but it wont make them very happy,

There is a pile of disposable items waiting among the flies, a dozen soiled nappy.

[James Barber]

Boomerang,

Great idea.

If anyone now has more green wheelie bins than they need then call 020 7525 2000 to have them taken away to be reused.

If anyone finds the standard 240 litre green wheelie bin too big they can request a smaller 180 litre green wheelie bin.

I was told at a shadow briefing earlier today that wheelie bins cost around ?20ea and blue boxes ?3 ea.

I'll ask about replacing the lid with blue ones or big stickers to 'convert' green wheelie bins to blue ones.

[puzzled]

concita is right (above). I lived in paris for a while and there they have communal wheelie bins on street corners. they were emptied several times a day. I suggested something like that to southwark years ago and was told: "well, it might work in paris, but it wouldn't work here or anywhere in london." so nice to get a logical response!

[boomerang]

To be fair, you'd have to get through an immense amount of garbage to warrant a daily collection, and personally I wouldn't want a garbage truck up and down my street everyday....Also can you imagine the cost of a daily collection? I'd rather council tax be spent elsewhere such as more cops, education and health etc....