To leave a crate of beer for the bin men?

[HTKS]

For Christmas?

Mum and Dad always left a crate of beer on top of the bin for the bin men at Christmas. I do the same but struck me it might be a bit old fashioned now. I think Dad thought they would have a tin or two on their round but that wouldn’t happen nowadays. And lots of people are now more into micro beers/kombucha/man buns/small batch gin rather that a tin or two of Stella.

If I AM BU, what else can I leave that’s not edible (foxes, and eating with binny hands must surely be a no-no) but easily shared? There a quite a few blokes on the crew.

I’d stick with a crate of beer. They’ll divide everything up after the rounds. I always buy a crate and they seem happy to receive it.
Postie gets a bottle of wine.

A crate of beer is a great idea. I'm pinching that for this year, thanks OP.

I give mince pies, they eat them there and then and love it

our bin men frequently leave a mess, don't empty bins properly and return them dumped at the side of the road, often blocking cars. Needless to say we won't be giving anything, but it is nice of you to give them anything, you must have better binmen.

Ours are great.

That's a nice thought OP.

Regarding their binny hands, I think I've seen them wearing gloves.

Whatever you decide I'm sure they'll be pleased.

Crate of beer is a great idea, I'm going to do that this year. Thanks OP!

I'll be doing the same, ours are lovely. In school holidays my DCs go outside to watch them and they always chat to them. Once they let them operate the thing that tips the bins into the lorry, my DCs loved it!

I've only ever left biscuits and I assumed they'd open them back at the office.
I feel tight now!

I'm with @dadshere in not being impressed with the service received. I get that the refuse collectors (won't say 'bin men' as we often have a woman on our rounds) have a gross job, but the way they chuck the smaller bins around, breaking them, and constantly leave the bigger wheelie bins in the middle of the drive, blocking the driveway, makes me not want to give them anything. I've asked them (politely) so many times to leave the bins to the side out of the way but they just ignore me. Before anyone jumps on me and says 'move the bin yourself', I live on a very busy main road and it's when I'm returning home that it's an issue, especially if I'm trying to turn across the carriageway into my drive and can't get in because it's blocked.

Mind you, if I left a crate of beer on top of the bin, it would be nicked long before the refuse collectors got round!

I think in this day and age, alcohol as a gift needs to be treated with caution ?

Quite aside from the fact there may be a religious reason why one of your binmen may not be able to drink alcohol, there's also personal preference, and recovering alcoholics ?

A crate of beer - whilst a nice intention - seems a tad divisive.

No, I haven't a better suggestion ....

I am totally stealing this idea. Our bin men go above and beyond.

What a BRILIANT idea! Pinching it!

Thank you,OP.

I agree you need to be careful with alcohol. That's why mince pies are better - most are veggie and hallal these days.

The foxes here are honestly in gangs. Mince pies would be gone before I'd got back in the house. Yes even in a sealed tin. Also we both tend to miss the actual guys as we go to work earlier than they arrive so can't give in person. I'm assuming they do normally get the beer as they say thank you when we next see them or leave a post it occasionally.

Amazed to hear that there are good binmen! Ours are hopeless, can't even put the bin back where they got it from - so it either blows over onto the main road, blocking traffic, or blocks the drive so I have to go out on my crutches and move it before I can get out of the driveway. I call their boss at least once a month - at his request - but they still do it. It's another whole 2 feet to put it back where they got it, in a sheltered corner. Bastards.

As the daughter of a bin-man I think it's an awful, insulting, potentially dangerous idea.

One: There is a really gross assumption that manual workers should be rewarded with tins of beer.
Two: One of those workers is someone whose job involves driving a huge bloody truck around busy urban areas.
Three: Plenty of the workers will be non-drinkers for a variety of reasons.
Four: I have had the experience of the utter nightmare that dealing with an alcoholic/recovering alcoholic loved one and I would never, ever, ever gift alcohol to someone who I don't know. You don't know what kind of hell you could be helping to contribute to for somone.

Yep. I run out and give our refuse collectors a slab of cans every Christmas. I live overseas and ours have a seriously awful time of it. This year I think I might give then some food stuffs too.

I wonder where they put it, I mean, if they got a few from various houses, the cab would be stacked full!

Just because someone gifts them alcohol doesn’t mean they have to take some.

I think it’s a great idea!

trancepants, I did acknowledge most of the points in your post in my OP, but thank you for the overheated hyperbole anyway.

I have to say , I don't think it's my responsibility to ensure that recovering alcoholics don't drink though. I also gift my childminder and her assistant wine, the teachers get wine, my dog walker gets wine. I don't "know" whether they are alcoholics or not. The only people I know are not alcoholics are my very close family and friends. I also don't know if any of the bin men are recovering from eating disorders or gastric sleeve surgery, and therefore giving them mince pies might cause them to relapse. I'm not going to take that into consideration I'm afraid.

Having said that, I am open to other ideas of non food stuffs.... nice sparkling water type drinks? Although thought makes me cringe a bit?

Oh I love the mince pies idea. I am rarely at home but the week before Christmas I am going to diarise to WFH on bin day and run out when I hear them coming! (otherwise I'd have to leave them on top of the binbags which seems a bit gross)

Binny hands!

@trancepants you are wildly projecting due to your own experiences. Nobody is suggesting that they drink them on the round ( although bin men may have done before drink driving was a big no-no). All this is a way that somebody can show their thanks to a team that work outside in all weathers doing a pretty unpleasant job. I am sure for every person that gives beer, another may give mince pies or a tub of chocolates. They will likely divide it all and if somebody does not want beer, they can have more of something else. I work in a school and often get bath sets but I do not have a bath and am very sensitive to cheap products. But that does not mean that the sentiment behind it is not appreciated. I receive all gifts grateful and am simply delighted that anybody would even think of thanking me for a job I am paid to do.

I take a festive double dozen of krispy kremes into my kids schools to say thanks to the staff. I give the posty a box of chocolates and the bin men a big box of chocolate biscuits. im sure some of them do not like donuts or chocolates or biscuits but that does not mean I will not show my thanks.

Just because someone gifts them alcohol doesn’t mean they have to take some.

Not a nice message to a crew of 4, with one practising Muslim ? Or am I being ridiculous ?