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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be thoroughly fed up with the jobsworth bin men?

151 replies

cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 15:28

Fully prepared to be told I'm unreasonable here, but here goes...

A month ago I put my silver recycling wheelie bin out for collection. When I returned later in the day, everyone's bins had been emptied except mine. There was a label attached to the handle saying they didn't empty my bin because there was wood in there. It was a small bit of wood probably about 20cm square. I was annoyed, but thought 'okay, fair enough' and removed said piece of wood.
Two weeks later I put my recycling bin out again. It's full to tell brim with last collection's rubbish (sans wood) and as I've since accrued another two weeks of recycling there were 4 silver bags of recycling sitting next to the bin.
Again they've not collected! Argh. Why? The stupid label says 'we couldn't collect today because your waste is in black bags'. It's fucking not...they're silver bags. And they're only there because you were too precious to remove a bit of wood last month and empty the bin. I've called the council and they basically say tough.
Am I unreasonable to think they just have it in for me or something?

OP posts:
willithappen · 10/09/2021 15:34

Probably are BU because a bag is a bag and just because it's grey doesn't mean that overrules they black bag rule 🤷🏻‍♀️
Plus you wouldn't have had to put it in bags if you didn't put the wood in

DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 10/09/2021 15:35

Yabu about the first bit, they shouldn't have to pick anything out of anyone's bins, it's our job to sort it correctly.

Not sure about the second bit, did you have bags in your actual bin? Or did they not pick up the bags at the side?

Silver wheelie bins sound cool though, ours are green, blue, purple and then we have an orange box for glass.

Fivefourthreetwo · 10/09/2021 15:37

It seems a bit much, but why did you put wood in the recycling bin to begin with?

Porcupineintherough · 10/09/2021 15:38

How about you comply with the recycling rules. You put out 1x silver bin with the correct stuff in it and they empty it?

Their job is to collect the prescribed amount of recycling per household and not contaminate the recycling stream.

You could try asking your neighbours if you could put your overflow in their silver bin.

Ozanj · 10/09/2021 15:41

Just go to the tip and next time follow the rules

pigsDOfly · 10/09/2021 15:42

Had to look at the first sentence twice - a recycling bin for your silver? Goodness.

I only have recycling bins for paper and cardboard and one for garden stuff.

Brollypackedforscottishholiday · 10/09/2021 15:43

When we first moved to our area we asked for a second /bigger waste bin as there are 7 of us... They issued a bigger bin.
We dutifully filled it with the relevant allowed waste..
Apparently the bin truck can't lift a full bigger sized bin.
The man on the phone advised dh he would have to remove half the bags and take them to the tip..
Dh less than politely advised him that wouldn't be happening... Bags had been in the bin for 2 weeks and he was a sahp with a toddler who would have to sit in with rancid bags - even if he was happy himself to drive with the stench /possible leaks /maggots!!
Envy
Not envy.
They caved and it was emptied... Bonkers...

MadeOfStarStuff · 10/09/2021 15:54

YABU

You created these problems for yourself, don’t blame the binmen for doing their job and not taking any random crap you put in the wrong bin

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 16:02

But wood? 🤷‍♀️ It was a small piece...and wood is recyclable. But yes, my fault...which is why I said it's fair enough.

OP posts:
ClaudiaWankleman · 10/09/2021 16:06

YANBU. We have terrible recycling provision here, with the upside being that the rules are almost impossible to abide by. As a result the binmen (and women) are relaxed about what they take.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 10/09/2021 16:10

So do the binmen rifle through the whole bin looking for contraband, or is it only a problem if its at the top?

For example... could you fill your recycling bin with bags of dog poo, place a layer of cardboard on top and its OK... but if random dog walker puts one bag in they won't collect?

Aprilx · 10/09/2021 16:13

@pigsDOfly

Had to look at the first sentence twice - a recycling bin for your silver? Goodness.

I only have recycling bins for paper and cardboard and one for garden stuff.

I thought that too! 😀. I must admit I haven’t even come across silver bag recycling either so I still don’t really understand.
BananaMilkshakeWithCream · 10/09/2021 16:15

@pigsDOfly

Had to look at the first sentence twice - a recycling bin for your silver? Goodness.

I only have recycling bins for paper and cardboard and one for garden stuff.

I think she means a recycling bin that is silver in colour
pigsDOfly · 10/09/2021 16:17

I think she means a recycling bin that is silver in colour

Yes, I was joking.

NoSquirrels · 10/09/2021 16:18

So did they empty your bin but leave the extra bags?

MereDintofPandiculation · 10/09/2021 16:34

We're on a bag route. We usually put out 3-4 bags of recycling per fortnight, and they'd give us 1-2 empty bags. I pointed out to the Council refuse dept that this wasn't going to work long term, and could we please have 2 more bags each week. Two more reminders, and the message got through - for the next 4 collections they left us about 30 bags each time. They've now settled to a random handful of 6-10 bags, so I'm stockpiling quite steadily.

Moral, I think, is never ever criticise anything your bin men do.

ParkheadParadise · 10/09/2021 16:40

WTF a silver bin?

The binmen in my street take everything and also put my bin back in the driveway. Probably because I always give them at Christmas. 🎁🎅

AntonMeyersNo1Fan · 10/09/2021 16:43

The only problem we’ve ever had here is our garden waste / brown bin. We have to pay for the bin then pay for collection. Which is fine and easier than taking grass cuttings to the tip.

But so far our bin has tipped in to the lorry 4 times while they empty it. We are on our 5th bin now and the handle has lost a bit so the lid doesn’t stay on. Can’t wait for this one to end up in the lorry…

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 16:50

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

So do the binmen rifle through the whole bin looking for contraband, or is it only a problem if its at the top?

For example... could you fill your recycling bin with bags of dog poo, place a layer of cardboard on top and its OK... but if random dog walker puts one bag in they won't collect?

I really don't know. I placed the square of wood right on top on the bin, thinking that if they don't take wood they'll just sling it on the grass for me to remove and take my recycling away with them. Surely that wouldn't be too much to ask. 🤔 But apparently so. I honestly did think that wood wouldn't be an issue though...I mean, it IS recyclable.
OP posts:
VeganVeal · 10/09/2021 16:51

@pigsDOfly

Had to look at the first sentence twice - a recycling bin for your silver? Goodness.

I only have recycling bins for paper and cardboard and one for garden stuff.

We dont recycle silver round our way, hardly worth it, we only recycle the gold and diamonds
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 16:51

@NoSquirrels

So did they empty your bin but leave the extra bags?
They left the whole lot. Bin and bags. The bin was full to the brim with recycling. All of it allowed (as far as I'm aware) all washed and loose in the bin. No bags in there. No wood.
OP posts:
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 16:56

Just to clarify I mean a SILVER COLOURED BIN.
And also the jars and yoghurt pots were rinsed under the tap before throwing in the bin, I don't lovingly wash everything.

OP posts:
londonrach · 10/09/2021 16:57

I'm afraid if the bin men do that I have to pop the recycling into the normal bin as I cant hold for two weeks due to no space. I explained this to the bin man as I leave on a path where people often dump their dog poo bags into our recycling...bin men now take everything...no idea what they do with the dog poo bags that appear after we pop our recycling out....

CoRhona · 10/09/2021 16:58

I too am envious your bin is silver!!

621CustardCream438 · 10/09/2021 17:00

“ I really don't know. I placed the square of wood right on top on the bin, thinking that if they don't take wood they'll just sling it on the grass for me to remove and take my recycling away with them. Surely that wouldn't be too much to ask. 🤔 But apparently so.
I honestly did think that wood wouldn't be an issue though...I mean, it IS recyclable.”

You’re being ridiculous - bin men walk miles, and they move fast. They do not have time apart from anything else to helpfully remove contaminants. They have hundreds of bins to collect and they are seriously short staffed at our council. They aren’t being “precious”, they’re doing a job as efficiently as possible- in my view it’s your job to make their job easier by presenting your waste correctly not theirs to help you out.

Treated wood (as opposed to bits of tree branch in garden waste) is not recyclable in any scheme I’ve ever heard of and in any case your council will have issued clear instructions for what to put in what bin. Follow the simple instructions.

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