Council not giving extra allowance for those whose bin dates not changed

Well yeah obviously there is a point in saying always buy paper. I was saying that telling the OP that it's her fault her bin is full because she didn't buy paper wrapping is pointless largely because presumably the wrapping has come from gifts she's been given not the ones she wrapped. We should tell EVERYONE to use paper. But also you still need a collection for recycling. Paper is great and everyone should use it in conjunction with string or even better not wrap gifts.

I contacted the local council and they agreed it. They went through what we use and said it couldn’t be recycled so it all goes in the extra general waste bin. Still end up with a lot of recycling from the boxes they are delivered in though.

Non recyclables - Cat litter (a pain as it's heavy), some plastics, cardboard if contaminated with food waste, things that are mixed and can't be separated (eg plastic coated paper), hoover contents... there's also a surprising amount of little odds and ends that aren't recyclable and can add up over the three weeks between collections.

Our council does collect soft plastics for recycling now so that's helped. On the other hand we can't go to our nearest recycling centre anymore as it's in a different Council area - it used to be ok, but they had a crackdown (to save money presumably), so now we have to travel further to a more awkward to get to place, all dependant on if we can book a slot, or go to one further away and risk damaging the car on the access road which can't really be called a road at all, it's more a series of ditches.

How did you get a second bin for medical waste? My daughter has prescribed feeds and our recycling bin is always so full of the plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. I've checked our council website and can't see anything about medical waste and the hospital have never mentioned anything.

Tips are car only. No foot traffic.

Bin empties by private companies cost money (Although only £13 a bin apparently or £15 at £3 a bag min. 5 bags)

To get rid of furniture you have to book a bulky bob collection which costs: collect 3 items for £23 Each additional item costs £8

Flytipping used to be from people getting paid to collect waste just dumping it rather than sorting it!

Our council takes wrapping paper as long as it doesn't have glitter or sellotape. It's quite satisfying removing the tape. Also takes rigid coloured plastics including black.

I never seem to have enough room in the bin, although I have 3 children it is actually the pets that bump up the black bin bags. Cat litter trays and rabbit hutch waste is half the contents. I don’t compost anything or use the food waste bins as it encourages vermin & smells.

I'm surprised that more people from Birmingham haven't joined this thread, although there was a brief mention earlier.
I'm in Birmingham, and the situation is not great. We are now having weekly collections for the most part, but no recycling has been collected for almost a year. The tip is by appointment only and as soon as there's any hint of further disruption, it gets booked up. We had bin bags stored in the shed for around 6 weeks in the summer as it was impossible to get a tip slot. Yes, there were rats. I believe that the strike is still ongoing and the collections we are getting are by agency staff, but there is talk of the agency staff joining the strike also. (This may be a couple of weeks out of date, you get fed up of following it!)
We've never had a food waste collection and garden waste is charged for, and also currently suspended.
No idea whether this will improve in the new year.
So yeah... check your bin privilege!

Our general waste was collected on Saturday rather than Thursday. They still won't take extra 'side' waste.

To be honest, I would much prefer skipping one fortnightly collection and let the refuse collectors enjoy the festive period with their families rather than them having to work Saturday and Sunday to catch up. It's a grotty, dangerous and physically demanding job and I'm sure their families and children would prefer to have them at home.

Ours was moved from every 2nd Thursdays to Monday. So 4 extra days.

We had 4 extra people for 3 days and 2 extra for 7 (adult children home for Christmas)

We were overfull on the food bin. Managed ok with the recycling and non recycling. I have never had extra allocation for Christmas. Pay a charity to go collect the Christmas tree in early january.

They're not "rules", it's just where the recycling goes. I don't know why anyone would put recycling in a waste bin, that's a bit odd.

And obviously you can only put things in your freezer if you've got room. That doesn't really need saying.

Yes, if you've got room in the freezer, and yes, if people staying with you adhere to these rules...

Food waste you can put in sealed bags and keep in the freezer until you have enough room to tip it into the food bin, to prevent smells.

I don't sort loo roll tubes out from used tampons because they don't go in the same bin in the first place - anything recyclable from the bathroom just gets taken straight to the recycling, it doesn't go in the bin. I don't actually have a recycling bin in my house - I just take stuff straight out to the wheelie bin, or sometimes leave it by the door until someone goes out, or collect it in a box or paper bag and take it all out when that is full.

I don't take soft plastics to the supermarket because I shop at Lidl and I don't think they collect it, they do collect batteries but our council does that anyway.

Yes a sort it centre is a recycling centre/tip. For our council our recycling and bin days have just been loved by 1 day, so it's still the same number of collections as we usually have. Cardboard/plastic etc we can put extra out, but if we couldn't I would just bag it up and put it out next week instead. Food waste is harder as will start to smell, but it's not like it's a suprise that bin collections change over christmas

Our black bin was due to be collected Christmas Day. They collected Saturday instead. No idea if they took extra as ours wasn’t full. On recycling week they will always take extra bags as long as they are clear. Both bins are fortnightly.

I didn't put my bin out this year (today). I won't put it out next week, or likely the week after either, I just don't have anything to go in it - hoover was emptied a couple of times, but that's about it, hardly a bin full. I'll put it out when it is full.. Recycling went out, that I put out most weeks. Do have a fair bit of soft plastic that's going next time I go to the supermarket, which won't be this week.

I've been doing this in a light hearted Christmassy spirit (OBVIOUSLY I don't want to force council workers to work Christmas, that was plainly silly).

But I'm getting a bit narked now by the couple of posters who just keep saying "Make less waste then". I appreciated the person who said she thinks she makes not too much but isn't all martyrish about it.

It's not that some of us just don't care, or are profligate, and are just whinging.

It's possible to flatten your cardboard, make sensible choices for yourself where possible (the famous buying one big pot of yoghurt not smaller ones), reduce food waste AND STILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM IN YOUR SODDING BIN!?!?!

We have heard all the dimensions now..

At Christmas there are numerous food and gift products which are part of the feast and which come with packaging, much of which you can't control.

Some families are bigger than others and eating a range of foods causing potentially more food waste which you can't control (Try telling my autistic nephew to just clear his plate and eat exactly the same as everyone else).

People stay in your house and you can't police how many q-tips they throw in the bathroom bin, and I don't believe anyone is rifling through separating recyclable cardboard toilet tubes from other people's old tampons.

Some places provide small bins and expect you to go to the tip/ compost things. People don't always have a car or garden.

Most places expect you to absorb a time of year where there is more waste, while simultaneously reducing the capacity for you to get rid of waste. Recycling is completely included in that.

Right I will stop ranting now but I really do think that considering yourself morally better and less wasteful because you are luckier with your council setup/family's needs is pretty weird!

I live in a rural area with regular (not urban) rats, mice, squirrels, foxes and deer roaming around. Food waste is kept bins with closely fitted lids. It has never attracted animals, unlike the bird table (for things other than birds!) and the compost heap (which I no longer have due to rats).

If you use paper tapes that are available they are recyclable.

How are you throwing so much food away? Are you scraping a lot of uneaten food from plates etc? Is it worth considering different portion sizes or buying less if you are scraping away loads of food?
We only have things like veg peelings, a few tea bags. We'd never get close to this filling the black bin every fortnight.
Like others I don't know how people are filling the bin we are a family of 4 + pets and just never get close!

Or the council could offer the service we pay for...

As another PP said, you could try checking online?

We had a hanger put on our bin lid, I had an email plus I went online to check and printed out a revised bin calendar for January! But I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss my collection, knowing I’d have a full bin.

We don't get any extra allowance. That said we can buy specific bags for additional waste at any time of year if we need too.

I never have a problem, but it’s not so simple for everyone.

Then make less waste of you can’t get rid of it