The bin men

[FunkyBarnYardBroom]

So AIBU?

Every week on bin day I put the bins out at 7am ready for them to collect. I pop them nearly to the side of the pavement against my fence so as not to obstruct the pavement.

I go to work.

Every time I come back they are blocking the pavement and the access to be drive. I live on a sharp bend and road parking isn't an option as the opposite houses don't have drives and park the length of the street on that side. Luckily not many cars go up and down my street and I haven't had anyone freak out at me for blocking the road temporarily!

So I have to block the road each time get out shove them to the side. Park and then take them off the pavement.

Am I asking too much that not only are my bins placed out the way of my drive. But they congregate a couple of the neighbours bins there too!

Is this normal on bin collection day?!

Ahh serendipity. Today's bin collection left me without a household bin. Untroubled, the bins are frequently left elsewhere in the street but today no sign of it.
I phone the streetcare line - >£50 for a replacement!
A second more thorough search and I spot it in a nearby garden - phew-

So that explains the long forum threads with posters so territorial about their bins!
Just Offto google bin transfers

Why bother to search for and resurrect a thread from 2014?

I agree, they are fuckers. This is what greeted me last week, they had collected my neighbours green bags from the walkway and used my garden as a collection point.

Didn't even notice this was from 2014!

Not only a zombie, but promoted by MNHQ on Facebook!

We live in a cul de sac and have to wheel our bins to the end of the road otherwise they wont get emptied at all. Then wheel them back again once emptied. I remember in the 70s as a small child waving to the smiley bin man through the kitchen window who came into the garden picked up the bin on his shoulder emptied it and brought it back in an equally happy fashion.

Our bin men are very strict, won't take it if its not in the right place facing the right way, won't take it if its got the wrong rubbish in and then leave the bins anywhere when empty.

One day one of them caught me chucking an extra bag of rubbish in my neighbours half empty bin, it was the right rubbish but he refused to take either of the bins because it wasn't my neighbours rubbish. Stand off ensued where I rang the council and they sent someone else out to collect it. wtf?

About 6 weeks later the same bin man was directing traffic for the bin lorry and told me (didn't ask) I needed to move my car to make it easier for him. I took great pleasure in reminding him who I was and why I was not being flexible and moving my car.

Yes I was that pathetic and it felt great . I usually don't have a problem with them blocking the road, they're not there long and you know when they are coming. I don't have a problem with bin men or women just this one.

I don't have a problem with zombie threads either.

I dislike our binmen too. Before we bought our house, 9 years ago, the bin men used to drive the lorry down our track to collect the bins (as relayed by the tenants who'd lived here for the past 50 years). As soon as we moved in, they did it once or twice and then said we'd have to take our bins to the end of the track instead. The track is very bumpy and rocky, and extremely difficult to pull a full wheely bin down, especially when heavily pregnant and having to carry a toddler down/push a pram because they can't walk yet not bitter

Last week I found a sticker on the bin that said "No recycling in this bin" . I'm not entirely sure whether it's a good sticker or a bad one! We recycle all recyclable waste so if it is an admonition then I have no clue why! I'm slightly perturbed that either way, it seems they've been rooting through our rubbish!!

Not at all. U.K. Bin men are hopeless. When I lived in Australia you would always finfthebinsmore or less where you left them. I have never come home to a bin on my driveway.

We get ours collected twice a month im well jel

Have always had nice helpful binnies and posties, ( good gender neutral terms eh what??? @ThatBloodyWoman

The workers at the local dump are decent folks too and have always been so good. (Although privatised and target driven out of their minds)

I've seen the public talk to refuse workers like they were pieces of dog turd on their shoe.
And I give them a Christmas box and the postie too. To show appreciation, because I like to say thanks.
No one has ever knocked looking for a bung...

Right.. got it ....Zombie thread 2014?

ah well.. washing on spin... better posting ....than eating that cake I was eyeing up... I suppose

I love our postmen - and they are all men so I can use that word! - we have a cycle of about 4 of them and they're fab. So are the majority of my delivery drivers too!

I'd be interested to know whether there was a difference between male and female refuse collectors, in terms of leaving lids open/chucking bins/blocking driveways and pavements.

The complaints on this thread seem to echo probems with male DPs not using laundry basket/doing other basic obvious stuff/having a floordrobe/making huge mess when cooking, etc.

Bin men are a law unto themselves. Sure, I get that it's an unpleasant job, but they do behave disgracefully sometimes. Apparently they get so much abuse that they now have dashcams. Shame they don't have body cams too.

I've always wondered if they get paid according to what bin they empty.

I'd much rather empty my cardboard bin every two weeks than my general waste bin, compacted to feck, that only gets emptied every 3 weeks.

Your cardboard is every week? I wish I had your system boardwalk, we get general waste every week that I dont get anywhere near filling, and a tiny cardboard bin that only gets emptied every other week and I always have a kitchen area of "waiting" cardboard that wont fit.

Every two weeks (alternate) for cardboard and bottles. It's not too bad because they are proper bin sized containers. Food is every week. General is every 3.

Even with all the recycling we've got offered it's still a struggle with he general. They tell us to compact and squash everything into the general so it does weigh a ton

Would love general every week storm can I put some of my rubbish in your bin please?

09/05/2014 18:27 ThatBloodyWoman

Are people not hearing me?

The workload and pressure to get the job done can be immense on the dust nowadays.

These are just normal people, not the bastard fuckers from hell sent to make your life,personally, harder.

Really, just make a polite phone call.If things don't improve, chase it up.

Of course there are bad workers on the bins, just like anywhere else, and there is a fair share of militancy.
But it's hard hard work, and not fair to demonise the majority of refuse collectors who have a tough time under increasingly difficult conditions.

I always tip the refuse collectors, posties and our milkman.
It may not be the 70's but it's something I do to show my support.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

Ours don't even show up that often anymore but we get regular updates on the council's webpage as to why they are too lazy.
This weeks excuse was a car parked on a grass verge not obstuctive in anyway
Last week it was too windy.
I kid you not

Although our bins are all identical and I use mine properly, mine were the only ones (week after week) which were left in the middle of my driveway. I'd come back from work, in winter so in the dark, and just about drive into a pile of bins.

I couldn't work out why they only did it to me. I never saw them, so it wasn't like I'd personally put them off.

I did ring and asked nicely if they could leave them on the edge of lawn as they do everyone else's and they have. Bit odd I had to ask, but problem solved!