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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect the bin men to check the bin has emptied and if it not then do something about it!

22 replies

MovingAndScared · 26/07/2011 13:31

this is my first AIBU so be gentle - I live in South Cambridgeshire and we have a green bin for garden and food waste. Last time the bin was collected -2 weeks ago - the bin wasn't emptied completly - I thought nothing of it - this week its not been emptied either. I just rang them and apparently sometimes the material gets stuck - if there is wet grass in it maybe - then they can do nothing about it and won't collect it again for 2 weeks - so I have some material in it which has been there nearly 4 weeks - loads of flies and wasps around - and I will have to get out myself and put it in the general waste bin! I know in the scheme of things in not that important but I am annoyed!

OP posts:
belindarose · 26/07/2011 13:34

Weird, just this minute started my own thread in chat to ask how to clean out a bin! Had the same problem. However, I just assumed they were right and will clean out my bin somehow.

VirtualWitch · 26/07/2011 13:37

Personally, I'd like them to collect all the rubbish and not create a litter problem by leaving the bits they drop on the roadside. It would also be a bonus if they'd put the bin back where it was left instead of blocking the drive...

cardibach · 26/07/2011 13:37

I've had the same probelm with my food waste bin. On top of that, it was left open so flies got in - no idea how I avoided maggots! I emaile dthe council to ask about it months ago (twice) but have not even had an acknowledgement.
YANBU

octopusinabox · 26/07/2011 13:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

scurryfunge · 26/07/2011 13:44

Our council provides biodegradable bags to put the food in before you put it in the bin so no waste touches the bin.

octopusinabox · 26/07/2011 14:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

scurryfunge · 26/07/2011 14:32

My council seems to be on top of refuse collection -this week I had one pedal bin sized bag in my main bin -everything else went into other recycling bins (though this probably means we may well get a fortnightly collection soon).

It would suit me but larger families might not be able to reduce rubbish so much.

GrendelsMum · 26/07/2011 15:27

I do understand why you feel this way, but I think if you clean it out yourself, you'll come (as I did) to the conclusion that you are being unreasonable.

SouthCambs recommend that you put a layer of cardboard at the bottom of your bin if you're having this problem. As far as I can see, once you've got a layer of wet stuff stuck at the bottom, the problem just keeps getting worse in subsequent weeks, and you have to clean it off by brushing it hard with a garden broom, etc. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the bin men to take a broom to the bottom of your bin - or rather, if we did expect that from the service, their rounds would take longer, more binmen would need to be hired, and our council tax would go up.

I'm in South Cambs myself and I've always found the service to be very good, although I too have had squelch stuck at the bottom of my bin. When I've cleaned it out, I've come to appreciate why the bin men don't do it for me!

Sidge · 26/07/2011 15:32

They're there to empty your bin, if waste is stuck on the bottom then cleaning it out between empties is your responsibility. Or as GrendelsMum says, put cardboard at the bottom to stop waste sticking.

I have my bin cleaned every month by a wheelie bin cleaning company, it's worth every penny!

Pootles2010 · 26/07/2011 15:36

Thats good idea Grendels, may well have to do that. Thought newspaper, but all the bin juice would just soak through...

tiredgranny · 26/07/2011 15:48

sidge i have my bins cleaned once month well worth 4 pound per bin

mollymole · 26/07/2011 16:51

use a bin liner and bag up your rubbish before you put it in the bin - this will keep it cleaner

mayorquimby · 26/07/2011 17:30

I'd say it's your duty to ensure that your bins are filled in a way which means they will empty properly.

BetsyBoop · 26/07/2011 18:54

half an inch of water in the bottom off the empty (clean) bin, with a splash of bleach top it with a bit of cardboard or a couple sheets of newspaper - nothing sticks & bin stays clean & fresh, simples :)

Original poster
MovingAndScared · 26/07/2011 21:18

can't bag it up - its for composting - and no one told me to put cardboard in the bottom -I have just moved in - if it is an issue which is seems it then I think South Cambridgesure should highlight it - and if I had know what I needed to do I would have done it -
but I still think its their duty to empty the bin - and its not empty

OP posts:
CoffeeDog · 26/07/2011 21:52

Our bins are fornightley.... twins in nappies.... not good.

I actually called he councill to see if we could have just a nappy bin i could share with my neighbour (also has 2 in nappies) as the vast amount in the bin stinks to high heaven. I was advised that i shouldnt have much black bin refuse and i should recycle more.....

EcoLady · 26/07/2011 22:06

Another S Cambs resident echoing the tip to put a layer of cardboard in the bottom.

for anyone wondering what the rules are here, so please don't suggest bin liners

Now, can we get them to pick up the stray paper shreddings that always escape from the blasted paper container?!

Pootles2010 · 27/07/2011 10:51

How bizarre that they don't allow compostable liners Eco! It does say you can purchase paper liners though?

Scholes34 · 27/07/2011 11:39

It's definitely worth having your bin cleaned once a month by one of the companies that follows the bin lorry on its round. I can see the problem of nappies building up over two weeks, but when I had three in nappies we had just one wheelie bin collected every week. Now we have three bins collected over two weeks, so 50% more capacity on waste collection.

GrendelsMum · 27/07/2011 18:41

Apparently the compostable liners don't compost quickly enough, and you end up with plastic bags in the compost - that was a change in the rules a few years back. I can appreciate that, as we had to stop using them in our home compost bin.

I should say that South Cambs residents can pick up all the resulting compost free, so it's worth it!

oldraver · 27/07/2011 21:59

I freeze my food waste and put it in the bin the night before. I do have a spare freezer so realise some people dont have this option

Orbinator · 27/07/2011 22:04

We have bi-weekly collection here in Canterbury. For recycling the council give us free clingfilm bags to put our cardboard and tins in. Needless to say they split with anything hardier than paper put in them and you can only fill them half full. You then have to leave them on the pavement (foxes/cats/passing dogs all have fun tearing them open with the merest flick of a paw) and then the bin men swing them about depositing most of the contents onto the road and pavement. But they aren't "allowed" to pick up the rubbish due to H&S, of course. Result: Canterbury town looks like the tip itself on bin days.

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