I've just got in and went to get my recycling bin in

[DoctorTwo]

The binmen haven't emptied it. Instead they hung a note on that reads "OOPS! WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO EMPTY YOUR BIN TODAY. Your recycling bin has not been emptied because it contains items that we cannot recycle or compost.

Please ensure that you remove the items (listed overleaf)so that we can empty your bin on the next collection day"

So I turned the tag over and they have checked the box for garden waste.

In what universe can garden waste not be composted? Might have to leave a scathing comment on the website. Or just whine on MN :o

[Bambamb]

Do you have a separate bin for garden waste? I.e did you put it in the wrong bin?

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Our garden waste goes in a separate bin.

[ilovepowerhoop]

we cant put garden waste in our recycling, we have a separate bin. I dont know of any councils here that let you put garden waste in with other recyclables

[mommy2ash]

you can't put garden waste in with recycling, recycling needs to be clean and dry.

[QueenOfThorns]

Is it just one bin for all recycling? We have three different recycling bins and one is specifically for food and garden waste. The others are paper/card and glass/tins.

[Topseyt]

Our recycling bins are for cardboard, paper, plastic, tin and glass. Garden waste has to go in a separate bin. Are you sure you didn't put it in the wrong bin?

[Audeca]

Of course it can be composted but different types of waste have to be treated differently i.e. you can't just chuck cooked food, meat, fis etc. in your compost bin because it would attract vermin (unless you are using something like the Bokashi method).

The council also probably sort through garden material to ensure it doesn't contain any Japanese Knotweed or similar invasive species. Having householders sort the waste into food and garden streams will not only make this work more pleasant for the people who have to do this job, but also probably make it a quicker and cheaper process.

[GingerBlondecat]

Sorry Love, the garden waste goes into a separate bin. otherwise hey cant separate the tin, glass and plastic out cleanly, it would have much all over it

[HopefulHamster]

Our garden waste has always had to go in a brown bin. The others vary but currently have massive grey one for recycling and tiny purple one for regular rubbish.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

Our garden waste goes in the green bin with the food waste. Different councils have different policies.

[IAmNotAMindReader]

Not being emptied isn't so bad, now you know garden waste is dealt with separately. We kept getting letters threatening fines for putting the wrong thing in the wrong bin and it wasn't even our bin. Its not like the bins weren't numbered either. Someone just couldn't be arsed to look on the front to see the 2 foot high number and decided as it was outside our house it must have been ours. Strange thing is, our house is a collection point and bins from half of 2 streets end up outside it so I have no idea which bright spark jumped to that conclusion.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Our garden waste goes in a green bin. Obviously.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

For those who can't put garden waste in the recycling bin, how many bins do you have?
We have 4 bins: green for garden and food waste, blue for paper, brown for plastic and glass and black for non recyclable waste.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Same as you. Where are you?

[Impatientismymiddlename]

Up north. I don't want to be too specific on a public form though as I am way too paranoid

[Fenton]

We need more info, at the moment it sounds as though you have put garden waste in with normal recycling in which case YABU of course they can't be expected to sort garden waste from recycling.

We have a normal refuse bin which is green
A recycling bin which has a blue lid
and a garden bin which is brown and we have to pay yearly for.

[Bunbaker]

What specifically is your recycling bin supposed to contain? Surely garden waste is compostable?

We have:
Green - garden waste (no food)
Blue - Cardboard
Brown - tins, glass jars and bottles, plastic bottles
White bag - paper
Grey - household waste that can't be recycled

[thatstoast]

As we're sharing, I just went to collect my recycling bin and a dog has left a massive turd next to it!

Can anyone recommend a good poop scoop?

[Fenton]

I once had a note through my door from the garden waste collectors which said

"sorry your bin has fell off in the back of the truck and been crushed a new one will get to you next week."

I felt really bad at it was probably my fault for overloading it

[Cocolepew]

I had an ote on mine once saying it hadn't been emptied because it "smelt"

[Fenton]

Can anyone recommend a good poop scoop?

your hand inside a plastic bag is the only way to go really.

naughty dog owners though.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

People have to pay for having their garden waste taken away . I thought council tax was supposed to cover the removal of regular household waste and garden waste is pretty much a regular thing if people have gardens.

[weegiemum]

We've a blue bin for plastic/tins/cardboard
Purple (mini wheelie bin) for glass
Brown for organic garden waste
Wee silver caddy thing for good waste
Green for anything else.

Food waste collected weekly, blue/brown/green weekly, purple monthly (and in our slightly-less-salubrious bit of town, monthly ain't enough for the purple one!)

[Bunbaker]

Not all councils include garden waste removal in their council tax, so the householder has to pay extra. It is money I would happily pay because it is such a faff to take stuff to the recycling centre, but luckily our council tax does cover garden waste removal.

We have to put our bins at the end of our cup de sac the night before. One night someone lobbed an empty beer can into our garden waste bin so the council didn't empty it. I wasn't amused.