To think that recycling is a piece of nonsense and a money spinner?

[handbagfettish]

For context, the Council have just delivered yet another big plastic monstrosity to everyone in the area. Apparently you can put certain things in it but for tins and bottles you need to wash the items and take the labels off first. Someone mentioned on the local Facebook group that she had seen the refuse collectors putting different types of rubbish in the back of the same truck. Are we being conned? Is everything going to the same landfill site? Really interested to know if anyone has any inside knowledge.

RevealTheLegend Oh yes, the 'experts' on local fb pages.

There's a lot of development and regeneration going on in our small town and every time something gets approved there's always someone who posts about 'brown envelopes' and 'money passing hands'; because of course, everything in local government is done via bribery and corruption.

I often wonder if they're just trying to be funny or they actually believe it. I suspect it's the latter.

As you say, utter bilge.

Buy less packaged stuff. Buy loose veg and so on.

Buy loose veg

This is surprisingly hard to do in my area. Around Christmas time I decided we were going to do this and went to a small local veg shop, everything was packaged as much as a supermarket. I've found one shop were I can get mostly unpacked fruit and veg. This had reminded me I have to go back to shopping there.

Aldi is the only supermarket near me with a limited rang of unpacked fruit and veg. I have a set of mesh bags to pack loose items in rather than using the plastic bags.

Councils put the recycling out for tender.
Some companies have robust sorting systems, some less so.
It may be that by sorting at source the council can negotiate with a cheaper provider at the next round, even if the current provider does sort themselves.
Its a good habit to get into anyway, as it makes us all more aware.

Recycling can be a huge money spinner for people in the right place but it is a necessary process. A lot of material is still hand sorted (I’ve been to many recycling facilities where this is done and the people doing it deserve a bloody medal), so washing out items beforehand and removing labels makes it easier for these people and the machines to sort items into the correct material streams.

The reality is recycling is absolutely pointless whilst we continue to consume and produce in the way we do. Recycling is a drop in the ocean in terms of “saving the planet”. We need a worldwide overhaul of what and how we are producing and consuming. But that will never happen so....

I can't be arsed with all the hassle

Because it's SO difficult to chuck something in a blue bin rather than a brown one. You sound like the inlaws the make a fuss about "how dare the council tell me what to do with my rubbish, it's mine and I'll do what I like with it".

However one point is right - recycle should only be coming after reduce, and reuse. It's not OK to keep buying endless packaging just because you can recycle it.

We used to have boxes for our recycling and a bin for garden and food waste together which was useful.

Then it was changed and we got a bin for recycling, and a little food waste bin, plus the garden waste bin. Not everyone has a green bin as you have to pay for it.

Recently the food waste bins were stopped so now food waste goes in the general waste which means that the food waste bins have been wasted as no-one has collected them.

We are supposed to chuck all the recycling in one bin and get a leaflet every few years showing what can go in there. However, no rules about removing labels or lids any more, or black plastic trays or types of plastic. This means that I have no idea if certain plastic packaging should be recycled or binned and it is very hit and miss.

My council sends 4 different lorries to collect waste and recycling (weekly in bags- black and clear), glass and garden waste (4 weekly in a plastic box/gardening bag). Those who want garden waste collected pay extra, although they will take the Christmas tree in the general waste for free.

I recycle everything I can, wash out tins and bottles first but do not take the labels off and compost my own food and lawn cuttings. I take other stuff to the free (tip) locally. I am happy with the refuse collection in my area; I guess you get the service the majority vote for ( Tory in my area).

Recently the food waste bins were stopped so now food waste goes in the general waste which means that the food waste bins have been wasted as no-one has collected them.

That’s odd. Did they say why? I still have my old recycling boxes and the previous blue wheelie bin for recycling. We have another new design, three stacking boxes on a wee trolly. It’s quite good, except the bright sparks designed it so that the cardboard goes in the bottom boxes that water gets into! 🤔 🤷‍♀️

Our food waste goes into soluble bags, then into the grass bin, where flies lay eggs and maggots hatch. 🤢

You can call your local council and talk to someone who knows what happens in your area. It is very specific to where you live. I know which materials are recycled locally, which are efficient to recycle here, which lids cause problems for the machines, etc.

If you get through to the right person, you can get real answers to your real questions.

S1naidSucks the food waste was 'suspended' and the collection dates changed for the other bins. Many people had no collections for several weeks while it was going on. So far no news on lifting the 'suspension'.

It worked better when the food waste went in the garden waste bins, those food waste bins are disgusting, and our caddy leaked from day one, after 3 requests for a non leaking one I gave up and didn't use it.

Last time I researched this:

metals are ALWAYS worth recycling. Aluminium especially, which is actually processed (re melted etc) in UK. Metals take vast amounts of energy to create, big net benefits.

Food & compost: if handled as separate waste stream, very worthwhile to do.

Textiles are usually worth recycling, they get turned into shoddy by UK companies & create economic activity elsewhere in world if good quality enough for reuse.

The structures for recycling paper are also generally quite good in UK.

Plastics are somewhat problematic, though :(. Those are the materials that it's hit & miss what will happen to them.

I think the big problem is nothing seems to be consistent. I never know what can be recycled or what can't.
E.g I've heard black plastic can't be recycled but no information like that from the council.

Reduce
Re use
Recycle

our caddy leaked from day one

Ours get lined with a compostable bag.

In Kirklees (Huddersfield area) we have recycling and general waste collected separately on alternate weeks. Recycling is sorted by hand at the waste centre. General waste goes to a waste-to—power incinerator, which is used to heat public buildings and some power goes to the national grid. We ran out of landfill space years ago. The incinerator is closer for 2 weeks a year for maintenance, during which time waste is sent to landfill elsewhere, although the council are looking for alternative incineration facilities.

Some guys from the Council came to speak to my Cubs last term. It was very interesting, I wonder if your council also do similar public information/outreach ?

What @TalkinPaecr said....., and Repair!

Also - but less stuff! I have a former friend who prides herself on “loving the mother”, but also on her collection of 120 T shirts in incrementally different colours of the rainbow. She has masses of very cheap clothes. When they fade/tear /fall apart she bins them and replaces them!

This thread reminded me of this

Lakielady - do you mean the incinerator in newhaven? It's know by its workers as "the slug", and also has a "megadoor", but sounds like it's one of Dante's circles of hell inside!

I'm in north wales and we have amazing recycling, way ahead of England. My DSD works in the council and confirms that it is valuable and worthwhile. We are on track to recycle 65% of our waste.

Food goes to a specialist place in Staffordshire which turns it into energy.

Paper, tins, aerosols, plastic (incl meat packaging), tetrapack and glass are collected in separate wagons and sent to various commercial recyclers. We have brown bins for garden waste which is composted and re sold. We have a washable nappy scheme too.

Personally, we've gone back to milk deliveries of glass bottles so we put the milk bottles out 3 times a week.

The only requirement is that things are rinsed our. No requirement to remove labels which is a bizarre requirement as they are heat treated on.

Recycling can work but more importantly is needed for this planet. Stop buying plastic bottles of water people!!

I think washing, or rinsing more likely, everything is a good idea as it will keep your recycling bin clean first of all. But taking off the labels is a bit too far. I wouldn't do it.

My husband was waiting behind a refuse collection lorry, and watched them load the recycling bags in with the waste. He tweeted a picture to the council who couldn't have given less of a shit!

That being said, I think we still have to try. No, recycling isn't a con. Reducing plastic usage isn't a con. And other people's poor behaviour should never excuse our own.

I watched our recycling guys tip the recycling bag of my used batteries into our box of glass bottles etc. before tipping both the batteries and glass into the glass collecting bin.
I phoned the council up to ask if I could recycle batteries and glass together and they said categorically not!!! Then I asked why their guys had just done it with mine!
Then they expected me to give them my name and address so they could 'investigate'. I explained it had happened within the last 5 minutes and surely they could work out which collection round was currently being done. I didn't fancy getting recycling and rubbish all over our front garden! LOL.