to think reducing general waste collections to every 3 weeks is unrealistic?

[HazelMember]

The council has reduced general waste collections to once every 3 weeks instead of twice a month. The general waste wheelie bin is already half the size of a normal bin.

I already recycle as much as possible. Cardboard plastics food waste glass tins everything. I am genuinely trying to do the right thing environmentally. But even with all that the general waste still builds up especially with a family.

Three weeks feels like a long time to store rubbish. I keep seeing just recycle more as the answer but I am already doing that. There is not much left to recycle.

How are people actually managing this? Are you just producing less waste somehow or are your bins overflowing too?

AIBU to think this change does not reflect how households actually live?

@LivingInMinecraft

If you have an example of an EU country that allows biological waste to be combined with residential waste and collects this on a three weekly basis then please specify which country it is. I’ve asked this several times now and you’ve not been able to provide an example

Why would I? I haven’t disputed that this may be the case.

Are you sure you’re recycling everything you can? How can 1 person produce that much waste?

Yes, we’ve definitely reduced our general waste so much by now being able to recycle soft plastics at the supermarkets. It’s made a real difference. I usually pop a full carrier bag of soft plastics in to a collection bin about once every 2-3 weeks that previously would have been in the general waste. A lot of bread bags as teen hoovers toast like no tomorrow.

Ours is 90% banana skins, egg shells and teabags. I hate food waste and use up leftovers whenever I can.

Maybe people should think about how many kids they’re having as producing more people is the least environmentally friendly activity anyway. Nobody needs 4 kids in this day and age.

We have food waste, general waste, and recycling bins. My kitchen bin is rarely full now. I was putting cat food pouches in there but they can be recycled at Tesco/Sainsbury's along with the Brita filter cartridges (and batteries when I remember them instead of leaving them on the hall table). In the summer I tend to empty the food waste every day alongside the cats litter tray, stops the flies and the smell.

I live in a block of flats and our general waste bins are constantly full. People throw all sorts in there instead of taking things to the tip they chuck it in the grundon. I had to complain to the management company recently as they were overflowing.

I'll send 1 back

Our council website has a very clear list. You just type in an item name in the search bar ( say foil or sandwich wrapper) and it will tell you which colour bin to put it in. Easy.

Most “civilised” people bag up the poo/nappies/san pro properly before putting in the main bin.

Just because you can manage does not mean everyone else can.

@Badbadbunny has made choices that generate very little waste. You could do the same @HazelMember if you wanted to.

Actually, if you look at global population trends it’s clear that within a generation or two there’s going to be complete population collapse.

Never mind about data though, or silly mathematical concepts like exponential growth/ decline, eh?

Oh dear. You think that just because waste is in a bag it isn’t a health hazard?

You’d be happy with a landfill site right behind your house them presumably and expect no flies/ maggots/ rats/ smell whatsoever, as long as it was in bags?

Why do you think the EU issued a Directive requiring all member states to make regular collections of biological waste if, according to you, it isn’t a public health hazard to leave it in residential areas for weeks on end in bags? How odd of them. And all the scientists and health professionals whose evidence and data informed the shaping of the law.

I’m sure you’re right, it’s all the fault of babies who have the audacity to poo and women who have the audacity to bleed. How very inconvenient of them.

This post sounds a lot like the early version AI which was asked how best to address climate change and suggested eliminating all humans, Terminator style.

They’re useless, aren’t they. Yet when they don’t perform the service paid for you get no refund to recompense you for having to seek alternative service providers. I really feel for those who don’t have a car.

Oh dear.

As for @Badbadbunny

YABU. We're on 3 weekly and our wheelie bin went out yesterday - it was about one third full. That's a household of 3 people and one pet. Our recycling wheelie bins go out every 2 weeks completely full.
We generate very little that won't go into the recycling bins.

We meal plan, so there's virtually no food waste. Certainly nothing that's gone out of date, just the "leftovers" from what we've not eaten on our plates which usually isn't much as we don't cook/serve large portions, and save anything unserved (i.e. half a chicken or half a roast etc) to be used the next day.

We tend not to "snack" on rubbish food so very little in the way of chocolate bar/crisp/biscuit wrappings etc. Tins, packet foods, and plastic yoghurt/butter/milk/juice containers all go into recycling after a quick rinse if needed. Obviously, cosmetic/toiletries/shower gel/shampoo containers can be recycled so don't go in general waste either.

We just have a small bag of "waste" from the bathroom each week (wet wipes, cotton buds, floss, tissues etc), and a larger bag of kitchen waste we put into the general waste every 2-3 days containing the leftover food waste, kitchen tissues/paper towels, wet wipes, etc., as well as other general household waste such as dud pens, foil/plastic pill packet inserts, kitchen foil from the oven, etc. To be honest, we could probably go to general waste collection every month and still wouldn't fill the bin.

#smugoverload 😆

Bet you're one of these posters who never has your heating on between 10pm and 8am, even when it's minus 10 degrees Celcius, and never has it above 5C in the day. Bet you and your family wear lots and lots of layers......😂

No one NEEDS even one child so what's your excuse?

Do you have food waste bins? And are they collected regularly?

We have recycling and food waste collected weekly which is about 90% of everything. The food waste makes a huge difference surprisingly. When I run out of food waste bags I really notice have much quicker the kitchen bin gets filled. We (family of 4) use about one black bin bag a week.

I think about 4 fit in the bin, not quite sure. I stupidly missed the last black bin collection, which means it will be 4 weeks not the usual 2. 4 is ok, but only just. I suppose if I had every 3 week collection I’d worry that it would be 6 weeks on the odd occasion I forgot to put the bins out on time and 6 weeks would be very, very difficult.

😆 Good point.

We don't have food waste bins. Bit annoying as they would be useful.

Err, have you seen birth rates! 😆

@zov this is clearly the new competition on MNs “how little waste one produces”

Clearly wishing for the imminent demise of the human race…

@zovwho has heating on overnight? I’ve never had it on between 10pm and 6am in my life. Nothing smug about it, we have these things called duvets, heard of them? We have 3 weekly bin collections here and it’s simply not an issue, you recycle everything and they provide a weekly food waste pick up which is generally eaten by the foxes and seagulls but that’s a separate issue!

Just to counter all the “we are a family of 30 and our general waste is collected in a thimble once every 6 months” posts, we are a family of 4 and comfortably fill 2 wheelie bins - and sometimes exceed their capacity - with general waste every fortnight. YANBU.

I fill the recycling bins as well, and I compost what I can (and use garden waste collection), but I still seem to have an inordinate amount of packaging waste in particular. Cat litter is also a bin space-filler and the DCat would rather crap on the floor than use litter twice.