Page 6 | could you cope if there was a bin collection strike in your area?

Goldyyup · 2025-04-16T20:13:53+00:00

I have been following the bin strike in Birmingham and the huge fly tipping as a result of the lack of collections. How would you manage if that happened in your area? I don't have the space to store all the rubbish. It has made me realise what an important job they do.

wombat15 · 18/04/2025 16:36

Headingtowardsdivorce · 18/04/2025 16:24

I agree that most people are probably taking it themselves in their cars, but at the risk of being pedantic (which I generally am!) the article says:

Norman Yousaf, the director of a waste disposal company, Monster Clearance, said he had experienced an influx of work, but that the upcoming bank holiday weekend would cause delays.
He said the differences in the buildup of rubbish across the city were more evident in more deprived areas, and that costs were a big factor.

“They call in, they say £30 for a bin, I’ve got three bins here for goodness sake, that’s 90 quid, plus I’ve got 10 bin bags, that’s another 30 quid, so that’s what, £120? I can’t afford that … but in the affluent areas, people are just accepting the quote, [they] just want it gone.”

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Maybe businesses are using waste disposal companies but I'm finding it a bit hard to believe many households are giving 120 pounds to his company rather than drive to the skip. It's not as if there is no bin collection at all. It's just less frequent.

Headingtowardsdivorce · 18/04/2025 17:14

wombat15 · 18/04/2025 16:36

Maybe businesses are using waste disposal companies but I'm finding it a bit hard to believe many households are giving 120 pounds to his company rather than drive to the skip. It's not as if there is no bin collection at all. It's just less frequent.

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True! They've probably found the one example they could in order to make the article more interesting.

Original poster

Goldyyup · 18/04/2025 21:33

I wonder if people are putting rubbish in public bins?

OP posts:

Bonniethetiler · 18/04/2025 22:20

Goldyyup · 18/04/2025 21:33

I wonder if people are putting rubbish in public bins?

If you mean bins in the street, no, not from what have seen.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 19/04/2025 12:56

wombat15 · 18/04/2025 16:36

Maybe businesses are using waste disposal companies but I'm finding it a bit hard to believe many households are giving 120 pounds to his company rather than drive to the skip. It's not as if there is no bin collection at all. It's just less frequent.

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Lots of 'middle' (neither rich nor poor) families probably are driving to the tip; but very rich people often tend to be hopeless if the 'little people' who do all their mundane tasks for them suddenly stop doing them.

Their instant response would be to find somebody else to deal with it and throw money at it, as that is something that they do have plenty of.

Besides, regardless of money or access to a car, it really depends on the kind of rubbish it is. Cardboard, polystyrene packaging, empty bottles etc. are very different from dripping bags of stinking kitchen waste when it comes to putting them in your car to take to the tip.

novalia89 · 19/04/2025 12:56

nahthatsnotforme · 18/04/2025 08:48

It’s really brought in to focus that we all generate far too much rubbish. Too much packaging, disposable stuff etc. We never used to create this much (I’m old) and it needs to stop.

I think this. I think that it has highlighted that we also need to take a bit more responsibility for our own waste. Recycle everything - this doesn't get done in some areas. Compost (there are some council areas near me which have compost bins, so it's not just a wealthy thing), reduce packaging and fast consumption.

pambeesleyhalpert · 19/04/2025 16:56

I have a car and go to the tip regularly anyway so wouldn’t be an issue for me. I’d also offer to take my neighbours rubbish as they don’t drive

WillowTit · 19/04/2025 16:58

we did have to cope for a little while, i was tempted to put my rubbish in the car and drop it in the litter bins near where i work though
we ended up taking it to the tip

BumbleBeegu · 19/04/2025 17:06

I could…but I have a car and the nearest household waste site is only a 5 minute drive. I also only have one black (general waste) and one green (recycle) bin bag a week, plus the occasional cardboard box 🤷‍♀️

I imagine it would be much harder for families with lots of rubbish and/or no car.

Natsku · 19/04/2025 17:18

Depends how long the strike would be. Our wheelie bin is never full so I reckon I could manage a few weeks before it was full to the brim, and recycling doesn't get collected where I am so I always take it to the recycling bins in the supermarket carpark anyway so that wouldn't build up.
Got a big garden so could start a compost heap which would mean even less going into my wheelie bin (no bio rubbish collection either or public place to take it)

But ultimately I doubt a bin strike would last long enough to hassle me in my country, they would achieve a compromise acceptable to everyone.

Reallyyyyyy · 19/04/2025 17:24

I would assume people would start burning their rubbish. We would burn ours.

JohnTheRevelator · 19/04/2025 17:32

It would be a real pain in the arse. Thankfully, living in a low rise block of flats,the rubbish bags wouldn't actually be in a front garden,but in a designated bin area downstairs. But seeing how full the bins get after just a week,I hate to think how it would be after several weeks. We already have a rat problem around here, thankfully I've never had any venture into my flat as I have a cat who is very with it when it comes to rodents. Nothing gets past her! But I don't drive so I wouldn't be able to take bags of rubbish to the tip,which is 2 bus journeys away. I'm disabled so certainly wouldn't be able to take bags of rubbish there on the bus! Don't think the driver would be too happy about people getting on with smelly bags of rubbish either!

wombat15 · 19/04/2025 17:33

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 19/04/2025 12:56

Lots of 'middle' (neither rich nor poor) families probably are driving to the tip; but very rich people often tend to be hopeless if the 'little people' who do all their mundane tasks for them suddenly stop doing them.

Their instant response would be to find somebody else to deal with it and throw money at it, as that is something that they do have plenty of.

Besides, regardless of money or access to a car, it really depends on the kind of rubbish it is. Cardboard, polystyrene packaging, empty bottles etc. are very different from dripping bags of stinking kitchen waste when it comes to putting them in your car to take to the tip.

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Pretty easy to separate the dripping bags and put them in the wheelie bin and just take the cardboard and bottles to the skip if you have a car though. There are still bin collections so the wheelie bins are collected eventually.

blubberyboo · 19/04/2025 17:39

Burn it and compost or bury the food stuf

Augustus40 · 19/04/2025 17:39

I would have to ask ds to drive our rubbish to the local tip.

Original poster

Goldyyup · 20/04/2025 10:07

I noticed Aldi now have recycling bins I assume for packaging,

OP posts:

givemychildabetterlife · 20/04/2025 11:14

ConsuelaHammock · 17/04/2025 01:11

We had a bin strike for a couple of months at the end of summer 22 ish, I think. Our bins are only collected fortnightly anyway so we have adapted . Our recycling bin is always full first. Our black bin would last at least a month before it’s full. We compost veg, potato skins etc already. We took rubbish to the local dump when the strike was on. Mostly glass, tins etc. We burned cardboard, paper waste if I recall correctly.
I think in some areas of Birmingham it must be laziness. Some areas are ok and some are overrun with rats ? I wouldn’t be surprised if some people are collecting rubbish and dumping it I the poorer areas.

we has a strike like this before and people were driving up in nice cars and dumping black bags and broken furniture outside our flat. it was bad enough living in a flat but the bin men couldn't even get the big dumpster out of the cupboard place it was buried under black bags that were honestly piled 6 foot high. it was horrendous and funnily enough the nice estate across the road didn't have a problem. they brought their problem to the council estate! I even recognised some of them! Flats are easy pickings.