F@cking council!

[WillowPeach]

I swear it's run by blimmin idiots.

I live in a flat (1 of 6 in the building) and between all of the 6 flats, we have just 1 wheelie bin for the cardboard recycling and 1 for the plastic/glass etc. My OH requested that the council provide extra bins because they're essentially giving us the equivalent of what 1 household gets but we have to share between 6.

It's becoming a joke. The binmen have been round our estate this week and the bins which were already full to the brim have not been emptied. My OH phoned up the council to be told that he has to report it on their website, only we can't because they don't allow you to if you live in a flat. WTF?

We've been overflowing with recycling for so long, we'd been holding out for the binmen emptying them this week and finally being able to put ours in but obviously they weren't emptied. All in all, we have about 6 bin bags worth of recyling (I usually carry the reclying in a bin bag and then throw it away afterwards).

Today I'm in a bad mood and finally lost the end of my tether and dumped them all by the bins. I feel bad for the wildlife but wtf am I meant to do? I've had the 6 bags sitting in my bath for at least a week.

Isn't this what we all pay bloody council tax for? (well one of the reasons!)

Contact your MP. Very easy to do, just google how to contact my MP and you can email them directly.

Same situation here, but we’ve always just put the excess rubbish by the wheely bins, and it’s always been taken without any issue.

Maybe you’re looking for a fight where there isn’t one? shrugs

About 1% of your council tax goes towards bin collection.

Why not email both your council and local councillors to explain your problem and ask for a solution so that you can recycle

Sorry I’m slightly confused. We have one box for our one flat. However we produce 3-4 boxes of recycling per week. I simply put them in bags next to the recycling- recycling men empty the bags and puts the empty bags back into the recycling box to be reused. Why do you feel bad for the wildlife doing this??? Also how are you manageing to shower with a bath full of recycling?

@saucyjack

I think there is one to be fair. There is no logic in giving the equalivalent of one household worth of bins to share between 6 flats. And I don't think it's fair to leave recycling outside of the bins because of the bins because of the wildlife who might potentially try to eat it (my cat would eat anything!). I already feel guilty for leaving mine out there but I've enough of hoarding it.

I believe my OH contacted our MP a couple of months ago regarding this issue. We never heard anything back.

you need to contact your ll (assuming you have one)
our council allows you to order additional bins (at a modest cost) have a look if that's an option.

Not all councils take rubbish or recycling that's not in the appropriate wheelie bin.

Take it to the tip yourself?

@loubluee

You know the standard size wheelie bins that are given to houses? We are given one of those between our 6 flats. I've never heard of anyone having boxes?

Thankfully our shower is in the ensuite (bathroom is just a bath) so if we do overflow, we can throw it in there temporarily.

I feel bad for the wildlife because I've had to put my recycling down there in black bags which can be ripped open easily by foxes/cats/birds etc and things like sharp tin edges etc could be dangerous for them. At least in the bin/box it's more likely to be protected.

@ivykate44

Well then that's 1% that isn't lol because they haven't done it for almost 2 weeks.

@WinterSpiceOnIce

I get that this is logical. But the point is, why should I need to? The bins are there for the council to empty, they haven't and now we're overflowing and not due another bin day for about 5 days. That's 5 days for 6 properties to continue 'collecting' recycling. Also, what if I didn't have the means to take it to the tip? I do, but why should I spend my petrol when there's a perfectly good bin outside that should be emptied regularly? That's just shifting blame of the council onto residents unnecessarily.

Most council contract out the work - so the 1% will still be paid but the company hasn’t done the work...

Your MP isn’t really the person to contact about local matter - that’s what your councillors are for, so why not contact them?

Photograph it on bin day before collection and tell your local paper. They love a bin story and councils hate being shown up.

Your local councillor would be the person to contact. Council website should tell you who it is and how to contact him/her, if you don't know.

To be fair Kingston local tip won’t let you take recycling and rubbish on a bike with a trailer, insisting you use a car 🚘 which is a bit pant as it’s a recycling center

@ivykaty44

I never thought of that. I'll give it a go cheers!

@longwayoff

Haha that's a great suggestions. I'm not fame hungry though ;) I'd rather not be like one of those Daily Mail 'sad face' posers lol

One bin between 6 households plus an unusable complaints procedure is Kafkaesque.

sad face optional!

Are you sure there was never more bins 🗑 and they were taken?

Our council charges for green and black bins, so when people move they tend to take the wheely bins with them ( you’re not supposed to )

Has this happened at the flats?

Our council change half the price of getting a wheely bin on amazon - do your council sell the bins? Can you purchase more between the flats?

This is a council issue so your MP isn't the best person to help. Look up your councillors and email them. You will be paying the same council tax as some houses and they get a bin each. Ask for Euro bins which are much bigger. If the councillors don't answer you, complain to the council leader and so on.

Just keep complaining and emailing every day they'll soon come and sort it because it will get annoying. Report online using an address for a house on your street and just put in the notes the complaint relates to the block of flats. Just keep annoying them sorry to say it but council workers are generally lazy and like to pass the buck. If you keep piling up their paperwork and their emails with complaints they'll come and sort it just to stop you. I speak from experience

Contact your Councillor to see if th y can come up with a solution

MPs won't do anything.

And going to the local press won't "shame" your council. Council decisions are never based on a sad face story.

Edith, GTF with your "council workers are generally lazy and like to pass the buck"

It's true round here!

So why make such sweeping generalisations?