Bin day - Now once a fortnight

[RibenaMonsoon]

Anyone else have their general waste taken once every 2 weeks?

It used to be once a week, they've changed it to once every 2 weeks and Im really struggling. I've got 3 (yes 3) recycling bins, which for the most part get used to capacity. There's always a little room left. (Myself and DH aren't driving yet so we order a lot from Amazon)

I recycle everything that can possibly be recycled and I've scoured the website to make sure I know what can and can't be recycled.

My issue is that I have 2 young children in nappies. I've tried reusable nappies and I can't find anything that doesn't give them nappy rash. Also excema runs in the family and DS is riddled with it, the reusable nappy irritates it. So those are out of the equation.

I emailed the council to request a bigger waste bin and explain the situation. They have fobbed me off. Offering another recycling bin. Which would leave me with 4 bloody recycling bins!!
The nappies alone fill the general waste bin in a 2 week period.

Is anyone else in a similar boat? What did you do?
AIBU to be really cheesed off that the council have just sent a pointless, unhelpful, generic email back and haven't listened to the problem?

Our general waste is now every 4 weeks, with nappies collected separately once a fortnight.

Ours have been fortnightly collections for years. Even when we had DD in nappies, it only went out every 4 or 6 weeks (we get charged by weight AND by lift for ours) when it was full. And that was before we got a food waste bin. Nowadays, it only goes out every 6-8 weeks or even longer sometimes.

Yes, but by 'locally' I meant the region I live in, and from the majority of posts on the thread it seems that bi-weekly or less is the norm. There's an article on BBC from earlier this year which says weekly collections are made in only 1 in 6 council areas. It's more likely that areas retaining weekly pickups (like OP's, until recently) will go to bi-weekly than the rest of us see a return to weekly collections.

I have weekly bin collections and fortnightly recycling collections. Our general waste bin is a slimline one and the recycling bin is a large one for all mixed recyclables except glass which has a separate box for safety reasons.

There's only me here half the time (DD lives with her dad half the month) but even when DD is here we barely half fill the general waste and I could easily go 4 weeks without a collection and still not fill the bin (I dont leave it that long because I dont want rubbish hanging around for a month).

The fact that you have 3 recycling bins and a general waste bin full every week suggests you're either not breaking down your recycling to get more in or are buying far more stuff than necessary. I would start looking at what is being thrown away every week and how to reduce the volume.

Ours is still weekly for waste and recycling but it's bags on the kerbside as we're terraced - houses served by proper bins get a fortnightly collection. They removed our food waste collection a few months ago.

I'm always amazed by how much rubbish people put out - we have 1-2 bags per week (toddler in nappies) and the family a few doors up who have a boy the same age put out 4-6 bags plus recycling. The older couple across the road, always have minimum 5 bags plus recycling.

And yes, I'm aware I'm a nosy cow judging every one for their rubbish.

Your bin must be quite small? I have 2 in nappies and no way would the bin be filled with only nappies in 2 weeks. Our bin is collected every fortnight and it isn't always completely full when it's collected. Also have 1 bin for recycling and a separate bin for food waste and garden waste.

I'm always amazed by how much rubbish people put out So am I.

We changed to two weekly collection for household waste this year. We a family of 5 and very rarely fill either the recycling or household waste bin up. We probably only fill four 50ltr bags up a fortnight. And yet family who have less people in their households seem to over flow both bins by the time they are collected.

Garden waste bin I only put out when it's full so probably once a month.

Wow to be fair that's an excessive amount of rubbish!! You currently have 3 recycling bins that are bigger than a standard size bin and one for regular waste? Do u use a garden bin/compost bin? We have a fortnightly collection now and we manage. Sometimes it's tough and have to stand on the bin to squeeze it down to fit one last bag in but we manage. I'm a childminder so there are a few nappies too. Will council not give you a bigger bin? I'm struggling to understand why there's so much waste tho tbh

Time to think about potty training your 2 year old then

I would try to get on with potty training the 2 yr old if possible. Even just for number 2s at first, then you should be able to use reusables as should not get nappy rash/irritation if only using nappy for wees.

3 weekly here. A family down the road has 2 black bins. Perhaps you could out a case to your council to get another.

Ours is three-weekly. Our bin is standard size. I honestly don't intend to sound holier than thou but our black bin is never rammed full. We do produce loads of recycling and food waste that's collected weekly though.

We got an extra bin from our council as have kids in nappies? Ours also once fortnight.

We have had this for years - 1 week is recycling and grass and next week is general waste.

We never come close to filling up our general waste bin but the recycling one is only just able to be shut. They are all quite large wheely bins though

Our area's bins are 160 litres I think so we have always struggled. I wonder if a lot of people saying they're shocked at OP's consumption are in areas with the larger 240l bins?

Yes, but round here you can get special nappy bins. Quite surprised there's any council who reduce the general waste and don't offer nappy bins!

(Do you have any neighbours, preferably single, childless or both, with whom you could come to an agreement about sharing their bin space? Might be worth asking at least!)

look into zero waste living - there are LOADS of ways to cut down. Just stop ordering from amazon - there is enough stuff in the world. Your young children will thank you one day - be on the right side of history!

Ours rotates on a two weekly cycle, paper and card one week, recyclable and general the next.

Only issue is we got a huge wheelie bin for the paper and card, which is never more than a third full, and a relatively small box for all recycling including plastic, glass, tetapacks. You can’t over fill it as the lid has to be on to stop the foxes getting to it. The box gets full easily within a week, even with the most enthusiastic squashing down.

Most houses in our area have had to ask for a second or third recycling boxes. Why they can’t switch it so the recycling goes in the wheelie bin and the paper and card in the box I’m not sure. The bin men transfer the stuff in boxes in to their own big wheelie bin to get it in to the lorry. Seems like a right faff!

There is no way what so ever two lots of nappies can fill a black bin in 2 weeks are you changing them both every 4 minutes

You keep mentioning amazon deliveries like it makes any sense? It comes in cardboard?

I have a ndn with 4 kids, 3 in nappies and the only time they overfill the black bin is Christmas when the collection dates are messed up - like everyone else's.

What is it exactly that you are putting into your bin to make it fill up instantly? Expanding foam?!

Bag up a couple of items and drop them in a bin on the way to work or at work , making sure they’re not stinky !

@mrsbyers good advice untill you get a fine in the post. This is a shocking suggestion.

Yes the 2 year old (nearly 3) was in the middle of potty training until DD was born a few weeks ago and he's now regressed. The health visitor and everything I've read online says that's normal when there's a new baby and not to push them.
He will get there I'm sure, then I've only got the baby's nappies to worry about.
But for now I'll arse the extra down.

On another note, I've just seen that amazon sell (I know I'm dreadful) black bin lids.

I have a cunning plan.

Black bin lids? lids for wheelie bins? How does that help you?

Wheeler bins have lids already, I don’t understand