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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to think the bin collections are getting 'jobsworth'

148 replies

MrsMuddlePluck · 28/07/2017 23:13

Put my bins out yesterday, including 4 tied black bags that I forgot to put out last week, that wouldn't fit in my wheelie bin. Bin collection has been and the bags have been left for dogs etc to dig into. The sacks had food waste in them so made a bit of a mess. Their reason, when I complained, is that if it doesn't fit in the wheelie bin, they wont take it and I should take it to the local dump [which is hell to get to now due to reduced times and huge queues.]. They only needed to chuck the bags in the back of the van?

AIBU to expect bin men to collect bags of household waste? Its what I pay my council tax for.

OP posts:
wheredoesallthetimego · 28/07/2017 23:16

You pay your council tax to have one wheelie bin full collected. It fits onto the back of the lorry and is quick and easy to empty without the bin men having to do heavy lifting. Yes, YWBU to leave the extra bags out in the first place.

Girlwithgreeneyes76 · 28/07/2017 23:19

I feel your pain op. Our binmen used to be good and would collect the odd extra bag but not anymore.

Girlwithgreeneyes76 · 28/07/2017 23:21

When I say did I wasn't even expecting them too. Was about to put days rubbish in the bin they gas just emptied and they offered to take it. Not anymore

PancakesAndMapleSyrup · 28/07/2017 23:21

No you are bloody not BU! this is insane. Where we are now for example, if the lid of the recycling wheelie bin dosent shut completly the dont take it. Madness. And bearing in mind rubbish black bags are only collected every fortnight they should just collect. The bags stink. Just pick them up FFS.

Sugarcoma · 28/07/2017 23:26

The situation on my road is out of control. Bags of rubbish and wheelie bins bloody everywhere. It's terraced so not even room for the wheelies they just sit on the pavement. I hate local councils so much. Utter twats.

WonkoTheSane42 · 28/07/2017 23:29

The thing is, they are paid to do a job and that job is emptying wheely bins. You've seen how that's done right? There's a machine in the back of the van. They get a certain amount of time to go around the route and empty all the bins. Your extra bags might have taken thirty seconds to deal with, but what if everyone on the route did the same? Let's say they empty 100 houses' bins and they all give them thirty seconds extra work. That's 50 minutes. Who is paying for that extra time? And you might say that everyone wouldn't leave extra every time but as soon as they do extra for one house they have to do it for every house.

Long story short: you're not special; follow the rules like everyone else.

Ellieboolou27 · 28/07/2017 23:30

No! We have a tiny wheelie bin, family of 4 and single people get the same size bin, drives me mad, I recycle everything that can be recycled. It's the councils not really the bin men's fault though.

Ellieboolou27 · 28/07/2017 23:33

Oh and mine come every 2 weeks and our council tax has increased.
wonko your patronising post sounds as if you work for the council, if you don't, you might consider applying, sounds like you'd fit right in Grin

Want2bSupermum · 28/07/2017 23:34

Rubbish collection is an issue. I'm here in the US just outside of NYC and we have our rubblish collected 3 times a week because it's a high density area and they don't want a huge rat problem. My father has his bins collected every two weeks. After they are collected the wheelie bin sticks to high heaven and there are usually maggots in there. It's a disgrace.

SuburbanRhonda · 28/07/2017 23:35

Do you have a car, OP?

If so, put your rubbish in the boot, go to the tip, suck up the queue and use it as a reminder not to forget to put your rubbish out next time Smile

RainbowPastel · 28/07/2017 23:35

Ours will only collect your bin if it completely closes. They will not take extra bags.

scaryclown · 28/07/2017 23:37

The council contracts to a company to collect the bins, the company makes their money by exploiting holes in the contract rather than fulfilling the idea of the contract

Smeaton · 28/07/2017 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

venys · 28/07/2017 23:40

You sound as though you are in my borough which has become a nightmare. But you should be putting your food waste in the food bins.

thefourgp · 28/07/2017 23:42

Yabu. I totally agree with wonko. The management where I work are forever giving us extra little jobs 'that'll only take five minutes'. It all adds up to a lot of time spent doing work you're not allocated any time for and you're not getting paid to do. Infuriating.

BackforGood · 28/07/2017 23:42

You should be so lucky. Binmen in Birmingham have been on strike for weeks.
Appreciate the fact your wheelie bins are being emptied.

HeddaGarbled · 28/07/2017 23:46

They will be following instructions from above and would get into trouble if they didn't.

Complain to the council if you want but they have fuck all money and are cutting services left, right and centre - closing libraries, Homestart, disability support groups etc.

Go on, put yourself out, get in your car and drive your excess waste to the council funded tidy tip (which has reduced hours because of the funding cuts, by the way).

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 28/07/2017 23:49

Depends on your binmen. Round here they'll take extra bags, in our last house they wouldn't take your bin if it was the slightest bit open, and used to post snooty notes onto it!

AnneGrommit · 28/07/2017 23:53

There is a growing rat population where I live due to bollocks like this. It's a waste collection service, so collect the fucking rubbish. It honestly beggars belief that people paid to collect rubbish just fucking walk around it if it's not in the right bin. I am old enough to remember when bin men would actually go in your garden, fetch what you'd left out whatever it was and they'd do it every week. Now you have to spend half your life fucking around with colour coded bins you have to lug around yourself that get collected every two weeks as long as you haven't put the lid on at the wrong angle or god forbid left your bin two centimetres behind where it should be in which case fuck you because all you're getting is a sticker about bin fucking rules and a load of uncollected rotting food.

And breathe ...

Gileswithachainsaw · 28/07/2017 23:54

Yanbu

I mean the collections get changed to fortnightly they handed everyone regardless of family size a tiny bin (we had to pay for bigger one) then don't show up on the right day then have the nerve to not take waste you wouldn't have had if they had turned up on time or would have fitted in the bigger bin they decided you didn't need...

MadamePomfrey · 28/07/2017 23:55

I had this when I moved and got left with a full absolutely minging bin when I asked if I could add extra, a very nice binman explained that they can't take it and get into trouble if the do (didn't mention cameras) but did say members of the public have reported them before. They are told it's all to ensure recycling. Ultimately it's a pain but this man seemed genuine and really my inconvenience of going to the tip isn't worth them risking their jobs.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 28/07/2017 23:56

Why can't you recycle your food ?

Ultimately we all need to consume less

Recycle and try to use less waste

MadamePomfrey · 28/07/2017 23:57

That said I completely agree with complaining to councils etc, if it's an issue which it is everywhere 😡 but don't blame the people just doing their job.

Gileswithachainsaw · 28/07/2017 23:57

👏@Anne

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 28/07/2017 23:58

I thought all To of this is training us all to manage waste better
And we live Ina society of selfish fuckers (not you op) that don't seem to care

It's annoying

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