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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish they'd reopen the recycling centers?

185 replies

feelinguseless78 · 18/04/2020 18:36

They closed the tips at the start of lockdown and fly tipping and bonfires have gone up massively in our area as a result.

I appreciate that they constitute a non essential journey to use them, but I feel they're the lesser evil!

AIBU?

YABU - they should remain closed
YANBU - yes they should reopen

OP posts:
ChicChicChicChiclana · 18/04/2020 20:38

People just don't need to fly tip and be fucking patient. It's really not hard.

We are grateful to have a car but surely not that unusual in the UK. Atm in the boot are bags for the charity shop, for the fabric recycling, for the plastic bag recycling at the supermarket, for the shoes recycling.

All our garden waste is piled up in the garden until it can be safely collected again.

Fly tippers are always shits, pandemic or not.

Melroses · 18/04/2020 20:40

Private businesses are still operating You can get the contents of your green bin disposed of for £40 according to local FB. Shock

Original poster
feelinguseless78 · 18/04/2020 20:41

It's easy to say 'oooof it's too scary, please furlough me' when you work for the council.

Actually it's not.

My post straddles the LA and NHS and unless you are pregnant or in a shielding group and can't work from home you can't be furloughed.

OP posts:
lyralalala · 18/04/2020 20:42

It's easy to say 'oooof it's too scary, please furlough me' when you work for the council.

The vast majority of cleansing staff are working on the bin lorries to cover the abscenses there

Bin pick ups have to be their priority

JingsMahBucket · 18/04/2020 20:42

@Frouby yikes. What a nasty post.

lyralalala · 18/04/2020 20:43

Also it's much easier to be redeployed if you work for the council. My young cousin's current daily home-help is a lad who works in the sports centre normally. His usual experience HH's are dealing with people with covid

OhYouBadBadKitten · 18/04/2020 20:44

I'm getting concerned about our garden waste. Most of it gets composted, but I have bags and bags of twiggy stuff that need to go into green waste. It feels like a bit of a fire/rat hazard sitting there.

oblada · 18/04/2020 20:44

Most tips around me are re-opening now. Sounds like a good idea to me.

RingtheBells · 18/04/2020 20:45

Our recycling centre appears to be open for trade waste, maybe because they have to pay to dispose of waste

DominaShantotto · 18/04/2020 20:46

Fly tipping's gone crazy round here since they closed. We've got a pile of stuff that needs to go when they reopen stacked up in a corner of the garden - when we saw the way things were heading and that lockdown was looking likely and just before the school closures were announced we made sure we did the revamp of the kids' rooms in advance of that so they had them ready to play in if schools did close - and so we've got the stuff that was produced as a result of that to take.

I also have a pile of books to take into school for the class library if I ever get the chance to do that when it reopens and bags of outgrown clothes in my car boot to pass to a friend for her child when the world returns to normal.

oblada · 18/04/2020 20:47

Frouby - public sector workers in the main cannot be furloughed (the scheme doesn't apply to them) and instead will be redeployed whenever possible.

PotholeParadise · 18/04/2020 20:47

Fly-tipping isn't a problem I've been noticing, but I'm really noticing the bonfires.

Local council has issued an advisory against bonfires for the duration for the sake of people suffering respiratory issues, but the bastards are still doing it. Over March I had an otherwise mild virus that gave me a burning feeling in my chest, and over a fortnight after I was better, breathing in smoke from someone's bonfire on my way to the flipping supermarket brought the painful sensation back. It was unpleasant.

I'm very concerned what the bonfire smoke is doing to the people who have definite COVID-19.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 18/04/2020 20:47

It's so enormously entitled to think the tips and recycling centres should stay open just because you've done a big declutter in your house or garden.

I don't think it's entitled to want to be able to use a service that you've paid for if it can be run on a restricted basis to keep everybody safe.

Most people aren't decluttering and doing masses of gardening just for a bit of fun - they're very bored, frightened, uncertain of their future and for many, it's a way of keeping themselves sane and busy instead of fretting.

Sad to say, there will also be a lot of people decluttering and gardening in a hurry in order to get their homes ready for sale at the best price, because they know they're going to lose them before very long with much reduced or no income.

Jellybott · 18/04/2020 20:48

@Frouby I work for a local council and they're not furloughing anyone. If they can't work from home, they're redeploying them, mainly to support vulnerable people. The tips are shut due to staff shortages, either because staff are having to work in other areas or are vulnerable themselves and isolating. Not to mention that a lot of (non council) processing plants are closed for the same reasons. 5000 of our staff volunteered to be redeployed helping vulnerable people instead of home working. Maybe you should think before making such sweeping statements.

Krazynights34 · 18/04/2020 20:49

They’ve stopped garden waste, paper/cardboard, bottles/tins here for WEEKS.
My garden is starting to look like a tip.
I have no choice but to do done decluttering as we have to relocate for my disabled DC.

BackforGood · 18/04/2020 20:50

People shouldn't be doing jobs that create so much waste they cant get rid of

Seriously? Is it beyond your imagination to understand that when people are stuck at home for weeks on end, they are going to be doing things to their home - be that decluttering, decorating or gardening ?

I do think that social distancing would be very easy to manage. I appreciate what the pp who told us what her dh had endured is concerned, but our tip is all covered by CCTV - perhaps the Council stepping up to issue instant fines and very clear notices for the hard of understanding explaining how it is going to work.

Whereas I do realise some staff that previously worked at the tip might be unable to work, there are thousands of council employees who aren't able to do their normal line of work that could be used - it isn't like being trained to do surgery, I'm sure most staff could follow well written instructions without too much difficulty, under the direction of regular staff.
I know many people are bored and would rather be working on their full pay than sitting at home on 80%.
I can't think having the tips closed is saving money, as - see the OP's point - fly tipping costs far more to sort out after the event, and all the law abiding people will be gathering piles and piles and car load ofter car load to take to the tips once they re-open. How will they cope with the demand then ?

Chesterfuckingdrorrs · 18/04/2020 20:52

I really hope they open soon. Only our general rubbish is being collected as normal.

Garden and glass suspended indefinitely and recycling moved to monthly from fortnightly.

I've just had to pay to get a company to empty our garden waste on top of the additional fee we pay to have the council empty our bins. We can manage the rest...just, but the garden needs regular maintenance to stay tidy.

vanillandhoney · 18/04/2020 20:54

People shouldn't be doing jobs that create so much waste they cant get rid of

Talk about speaking from a privileged position.

Not everyone lives in houses with gardens and plenty of storage space.

People have been off work for 3-4 weeks already and have at least another three weeks to go. Why on earth shouldn't they be able to spend that time doing something productive?

We've been redecorating our living room, which was always our plan for Easter break anyway. Luckily DH works on a building site so we've been able to get rid of the bulk of our waste that way, but not everyone is so lucky.

People are paying for tips via their council tax - it's only right that they should be able to use that service safely.

WeAllHaveWings · 18/04/2020 20:54

Just incase you haven't noticed there is a pandemic going on.

People can declutter later, even fly tipping can be cleaned up later. We can't resurrect the dead.

The tips are a non essential service.

lyralalala · 18/04/2020 20:54

Whereas I do realise some staff that previously worked at the tip might be unable to work, there are thousands of council employees who aren't able to do their normal line of work that could be used - it isn't like being trained to do surgery, I'm sure most staff could follow well written instructions without too much difficulty, under the direction of regular staff.

Council employees who are able to work are working. They're redeployed into other areas with a higher priority than the tip - bins, home care, supporting the vulnerable etc

vanillandhoney · 18/04/2020 20:55

People can declutter later, even fly tipping can be cleaned up later. We can't resurrect the dead.

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

The tips are a non essential service.

Getting rid of waste safely and hygienically is essential. Too much waste left lying around attracts rodents and disease.

ChicChicChicChiclana · 18/04/2020 20:55

Well, yes, when people are stuck at home they might want to declutter and redecorate and sort out the garden cos they're bored and haven't got much else to do.

But it's hardly essential is it?

lyralalala · 18/04/2020 20:55

Fly tipping costs much more than running the tip - does that not tell people that the council are having to prioritise other services first.

They wouldn't voluntarily land themselves with a bigger bill for no reason.

lyralalala · 18/04/2020 20:57

Getting rid of waste safely and hygienically is essential. Too much waste left lying around attracts rodents and disease.

People need to think about the waste they create and their ability to get rid of it before they create it.

Decluttering is not essential. Yes, it would be handy timing, but it's still not essential