Bins and Christmas presents

[prisscalledwanda]

(First time thread-starter, apologies in advance if I get any of this wrong)

My question is one of logistics: how do people give their bin and recycling collectors a thank you gesture at Christmas? I live in an apartment building with shared communal bins in a separate room that get emptied weekly (by the normal council team). I'm never in so don't know if it's the same people doing it every week, nor how many of them there are etc etc. So: how to get a present to them? (And what should it be?)

When I was younger my parents used to give our bin man a bottle plus a Christmas card with some cash in, and this is what I give my cleaner too. But how could this work for our bin team? Putting out one card with cash in can't be right (how would they split it?), I don't want to do several cards with cash in in case I don't do enough or go madly over the top and write too many - and I'm worried they would get thrown away by accident. I thought about putting a tub of biscuits on top of the bin - hygienically wrapped - with a note and hoping that gets to them (it may not if anyone uses the bin after me). None of these seem brilliant.

Has anyone cracked this? - I can't be the only one who has this problem. Is anyone a bin collector/ friends with a bin collector who can tell me what the norm is or what might work?

All ideas taken gratefully: they do such a good job and it can't be much fun emptying everyone's bins and having no-one ever say thank you, so I would like to do the right thing.

Thank you in advance.

I have never given them anything

I leave a gift and card on top of the bin, in a plastic bag if the weather is bad.

In the situation you describe I suspect I wouldn't bother though.

I think it is fine to give one gift (We give a tub of chocs) or one card with money. I imagine they split them up between themselves.

We're tipping the bin men £10.00 this year. Could you contact your local council waste department and go from there? They might be able to pass on a gift for you?

Do you give your local shop a card and present for them serving you? Do you get a card a present from random strangers that you come across while doing your job?

Bin men have it much easier than they did years ago and get paid not bad compared to home helps etc. So no I don’t give the bin men presents for them managing to move my bin the two feet from the pavement to the motorised lift on the back of a lorry.

Never realised this was a thing.

I'd tip if they go above and beyond but ours won't take anything bar the standard bin and only if it's out to their exact requirements so can't imagine anyone else tips either.

I give to them via my council tax.

I can’t imagine they would be encouraged to accept gifts so I wouldn’t contact the council. Just leave something out with the bins.

Thanks everyone

I think I will do something physical and easily visible on top of the bins then, like a tub of celebrations. Glad I'm not missing an obvious other route.

Thanks for your responses