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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:
HypocriteHunter · 10/09/2021 19:06

@Isolemnlyscare

For your husband Flowers

Twillow · 10/09/2021 19:10

Of course you are being unreasonable! Maybe a mistake but a bit stupid to put wood in the recycling bin. And everyone knows surely that they don't collect bagged material, they don't have time to stop and faff about on behalf of people who can't be arsed to follow the rules.

Isolemnlyscare · 10/09/2021 19:15

OP, i understand your frustration i really do, several weeks of uncollected rubbish would annoy me. However to call the binmen 'jobsworths' is a tad unfair. They dont make the rules but they have to implement them and i would assume (maybe incorrectly) that you also face the same situations in your line of work. All im saying is please don't get vexed at your bin men but rather divert your frustrations to their manager, who gets paid to deal with customers complaints.

BrendaBubbles · 10/09/2021 19:15

Stick it in some black bags, take it up the tip, do it properly next time.

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 19:19

@BrendaBubbles

Stick it in some black bags, take it up the tip, do it properly next time.
Thank you. Yes...I'm over it now. My ex husband has kindly said he'll take it to the tip for me when he arrives tomorrow for the kids, so that's a relief. Next time I will be much much more careful and make no assumptions.
OP posts:
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 19:22

@HypocriteHunter

Then there are posters saying I'm a 'pwincess' whatever tf that is. I'm entitled etc. I haven't spoken to the bin men to be rude or entitled towards them, so why are they refusing my waste? If I had been rude to them I think id give my bins a miss too if I was them. And it's not entitled to expect a bloody bin man and collect your bins.

That was me pwincess. It is entitled of you to expect them to sort your rubbish. Just because they collect rubbish they are not there to sort it.

You are a public servant too? Then you won’t mind if a horde of us come to your place of work and expect you to wipe our nethers. You said it was your job after all.

Isn’t that part of our taxes? Grin Wink

I’m not having a bad day. Just that it is out of order calling people dicks and jobsworths because they did their job. 🤷‍♀️

No of course I wouldn't mind 'wiping people's arsed' as I'm paid to do that. It's part and parcel of being a nurse. I think I'd leave your arse shitty though, to match your shitty mood and attitude. Pwince you are not. Smile
OP posts:
HypocriteHunter · 10/09/2021 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Deletesystem33 · 10/09/2021 19:38

Your poor husband. I'd always be polite to anyone doing his job, always. I haven't seen our bin men to ask what I did wrong this week, but if I had I'd approach them with the same courtesy I expect from others in my own demanding, public facing, underpaid, under appreciate line of work.

You're happy to slag them off anonymously though.

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 19:40

@Deletesystem33

Your poor husband. I'd always be polite to anyone doing his job, always. I haven't seen our bin men to ask what I did wrong this week, but if I had I'd approach them with the same courtesy I expect from others in my own demanding, public facing, underpaid, under appreciate line of work.

You're happy to slag them off anonymously though.

Yeah. Grin I don't think they'll notice or even care.
OP posts:
Isolemnlyscare · 10/09/2021 19:53

Maybe they dont notice or care because after 20 years its just another day at the office having people slag them off. Doesnt mean its ok to do it though. Like i said before feel free to be vexed at those that make the rules but dont actually do the job or take the flak whilst out and about on the streets. PS i do think silver bins sound awesome

Wed8pril · 10/09/2021 21:07

Yeah. grin I don't think they'll notice or even care.

Yeah I know plenty like you. All nice to people's face and bitch about them when their back is turned.

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 21:38

@Wed8pril

Yeah. grin I don't think they'll notice or even care.

Yeah I know plenty like you. All nice to people's face and bitch about them when their back is turned.

Are the okay hun? Confused I've never met the bin men, so I'm hardly bitching about them behind their backs. Get a grip.
OP posts:
Wed8pril · 10/09/2021 21:46

You're bitching about them on the Internet for the high crime of following the rules while bragging about how you would be perfectly polite to their faces.

DroopyClematis · 10/09/2021 21:50

So you put your silver recycling in black bags?! Shouldn't it have been in silver bags/bin?

Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 21:53

@Wed8pril

You're bitching about them on the Internet for the high crime of following the rules while bragging about how you would be perfectly polite to their faces.
But that's just it though. I followed the rules after my previous error and they continue to leave my rubbish. It's frustrating...I don't know what to do to get them to take my recycling. Yeah, earlier on I was pretty pissed off with the bin men. So I ranted on mn. I haven't said I'd be nice as pie to their faces, just that I wouldn't be rude.
OP posts:
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 21:56

@DroopyClematis

So you put your silver recycling in black bags?! Shouldn't it have been in silver bags/bin?
Yeah, I put the overflow in silver bags as per the rules. They left a label saying they wouldn't collect my rubbish because it's in black bags. I wouldn't have minded so much if they'd left the bags, but they also left the bin which was full to the brim with recycling. I checked it carefully for contraband after the debacle at last collection. I just don't understand why they didn't get my bins this time. 🤷‍♀️
OP posts:
DroopyClematis · 10/09/2021 21:57

@cheeseisnice

But wood? 🤷‍♀️ It was a small piece...and wood is recyclable. But yes, my fault...which is why I said it's fair enough.
But if you look at your list of what's recyclable I bet that wood isn't on that list. Take your excess to the dump, start again and follow the list from your council.
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 22:00

You're absolutely right of course. I should have checked online to see if wood could be recycled. Unfortunately I didn't, I just assumed.

So I removed the wood as the person on the phone recommended I do and waited two weeks before trying again. Still they won't take my crap. It's beginning to feel like it's something personal...and I wouldn't mind but I've never clapped eyes on the bin men. I always follow the rules with my waste, I just fucked up once.

OP posts:
Caramelsmadfuzzytail · 10/09/2021 22:11

I have lived in my flat for 10 years, I share bins with four other flats. For the 1st time this year, some twonk put quite a bit of wood in the 'normal' bin. I couldn't put my rubbish in it. I rang the dept that deals with these things. Explaining that I can't hold on to my rubbish as I have no outside space. They said, put it next to the bin. I asked if they would make sure the bin men knew this. I'm certain that my neighbours first language isn't English, so I said this too.
The next day all the rubbish was gone. Now all I have to contend with is early morning "warning, this vehicle is turning left, beep". How do I contend with that?

Theunamedcat · 10/09/2021 22:23

@DroopyClematis

So you put your silver recycling in black bags?! Shouldn't it have been in silver bags/bin?
She said she used the silver bags that they told her too
Original poster
cheeseisnice · 10/09/2021 22:26

I don't know @Caramelsmadfuzzytail

I'd personally put up with any amount of early morning noise to get my bin emptied at this stage. I too don't have the room for 6 weeks recycling generated by 5 people. Sad

OP posts:
takehomepay · 10/09/2021 22:34

@HypocriteHunter

And my mood and attitude is not as shitty as your attitude.

I’m a public servant as well. Not a pwince Grin

I don’t pick and choose who I treat.

Only those who shouldn’t be in the job would do that.

Away and play with your bin bags. 😉

You’re being unnecessarily nasty to OP. Ans not making much sense either, OP can’t pick and choose who she treats either.
MrsBerthaRochester · 10/09/2021 22:43

Just leave it out until one of your neighbours complains. They will empty it then.

SarahBennettAdvice · 10/09/2021 23:05

You aren’t being unreasonable. Obviously because you had excess waste they took that as an opportunity to leave all of it - lazy!

Round my way they have December & January off for Christmas, they don’t come if it’s sleeting or if it’s too cold / hot / windy and on the days they can be bothered they will only place the bin directly in front of my driveway, despite there being plenty of space to stow sensibly.

OnlySpam · 11/09/2021 00:18

Just hide all contraband lower down. End of problem 😀