If B&Q is open why aren't recycling centres?

[KeepWashingThoseHands]

My council aren't collecting green bins until at least mid-May, so 6 weeks now. Annoying but I'll manage, but also getting a backlog of loads of cardboard boxes etc. that don't fit in the blue bin which is also only collected every 2 weeks.

I know this isn't the biggest issue but recycling centres are outside, people are fairly apart anyway and we don't want fly tipping. It's really curious what's permitted to be open and what isn't.

Our bins are all being collected as normal: food once a week, recycling, general waste and garden waste every fortnight.

The council did warn that they might have to stop the garden waste collection (paid for service) to concentrate on the others, but so far they haven't had to do that which I'm glad about as I've been doing more gardening than usual.

Our local recycling centre is closed and I hope they will open that as one of the first things if lockdown is lifted in a phased way. We are currently housing the contents of my mother in law's care home room (she died just before lockdown). It's all sorted through and there is lots of stuff that either needs chucking or taking to a charity shop. Fortunately we have a garage, so it's not the end of the world but obviously not everyone is in that position and we have noticed an increase in flu tipping.

When they do open again it will be carnage for a few weeks... Loads of pent up demand and restrictions to the site to ensure social distancing will mean enormous queues....

It has to happen at some point though and can’t really see a way round it, but expect some DM “sad face” article about some hard-done-by couple queuing three hours only to be turned away at the gate as it was past closing time...

Our Council has said that ours are closed because it’s not an essential journey. I think people wouldn’t mind so much except when they drastically reduced the size of our black bins a while back, they specifically said people should take their excess waste to the tips ourselves (and a lot of people do) and now that option is gone.

We’re fine with our black bin waste, but our blue bin has been overflowing - mostly cardboard. I discovered that round the side of our Sainsbury’s there’s big recycling bins for general public use- one for glass, another for plastic bottles and cans and one for cardboard and paper. I had no idea it was there- possibly some other supermarkets have similar?

Staff redeployment here too.

I’ve heard the recycling centre in my borough opens again on Monday. I think these will be lifted in a couple of weeks more widely.

Bins are going on as usual in Ireland but there's been a huge increase in illegal dumping. I get your title OP, I wonder why garden centres are considered so important to be open, same with pound shops, I think it'd keep a few people home if they were closed, I know people want to keep busy though, they're all catch 22 situation

Someone I know works for b&q and has started back at work. They were told it was only to sell essential items but from this thread that doesn't seem to be the case. It's a huge store and they are only letting in a set number of people, they have given the staff visors, but it just seems totally unnecessary to me. I don't know what the solution is though except to maybe just open for trade but then there's those who need to carry out urgent repairs themselves. I don't know. There's just too many loopholes in the guidance for my ASD brain to cope with.

@stayathomer, I’m in the UK and there has been a big increase in fly tipping in my area too

@Richlyfruited there is a private waste disposal bloke in our area who is disposing of binbags at £2 each - check your lock FB groups.

local not lock

We've got kerbside collections as usual, even the bulky waste one has been reinstated.

We don't usually use the garden waste collection service as it's a pay for service, but as the recycling centre is shut and we still have the official council garden waste bags from years ago when it was a free service, we've been putting it out on the off chance, and it's being collected which is good.

I work for a local council and our tip isn't open because:
1- it isn't an essential journey
2- the staff are covering the waste collections due to sickness
3- the onward process (those companies who purchase the recycling) is closed. So there is nowhere for the waste to go. Keeping it in large skips at the waste centre would be a huge fire risk.

So we are asking people to keep their waste that they would normally take to the tip (which shouldn't be usual food/black bag waste) at home until it is safe to reopen.

People don't seem to think about the practicalities of opening business. It needs the whole supply chain to be open, which isn't possible for many at present.

It needs the whole supply chain to be open, which isn't possible for many at present

But it IS essential to take waste and process it. These sites are not hugely manned, use PPE anyway, and surely social distancing is not an issue with these huge plants, much of which is outside, and mechanised.

And as this has caused a massive increase in fly tipping, which needs a team to go out and collect, the whole process has been badly thought through anyway. Let's get some of these essential services back and running.

But that poster clearly stated the onward chain is closed, so once collected or dropped at top, there’s nowhere for it to go

I work on large construction projects. The main project I am working on at present is defend nationally critical, and is continuing to work as far a possible within COVID restrictions and safety guidelines. One of the biggest problems we have is with lifting and moving skips around - this can not be done whilst observing social distancing. I imagine the sane is try for the much bigger skips and bottle banks etc at tips. Once therms are full they’ll need to stay there until they can be moved and the onward supply chain can accommodate the contents.

My friend is the manager of waste and recycling for our council.
He was saying that the reason green waste isn’t being taken is because they didn’t have the staff to do that and do the regular bins.

And the same goes for the tip really. It’s staffing. Not only the staff for the actual site but for where it goes afterwards. Dealing with waste is a big chain and if one bit goes down then it all does.
The day before lock down was the busiest they had been ever.

ia surely the tip is essential. the countryside will be full of rubbish

The countryside will only be full of rubbish if people are selfish and only think of themselves.
The desire to have a nice garden (or any room in your house), clear of rubbish is not more important than the safety of the thousands of staff it actually takes to keep the tips open across the country.
I'm renovating a house at present and we are storing all our waste in the garden and will dispose of it when the tip is back open. I don't expect anyone to put themselves in harms way just so I can clear some space.

surely the tip is essential

I agree but it’s not that simple.
Where do you think the stuff goes when the tip is full? Landfill sites are probably still open but what about all the other places up the chain.

Our council have stopped collecting garden waste but are still collecting recycling and black bag waste.

Initially it was due to staff shortages. I've now been told that there is so much rubbish and recycling being put out that they need to use the garden waste truck and crew to support the other collections.

The tip will be absolute chaos when it re-opens. I have a pile of stuff in my garage that needs to go.

Whilst the official policy is that the bin men won't take large cardboard boxes, unofficially they do. Another reason to be grateful to the bin men!

I was just wondering... when I used to live in a different area, they used to have 'bring out your rubbish' days every 6 months of so. You'd leave anything out on the front and the council would take it all away. I wonder if, when things settle a bit more, councils might consider doing something like that to help clear the backlog, rather than a free for all at the tip?

there is a private waste disposal bloke in our area who is disposing of binbags at £2 each - check your lock FB groups.

I would be very cautious of getting someone from Facebook to take your bin bags. You don't know if they are legit and your rubbish could end up strewn all over the countryside.

there is a private waste disposal bloke in our area who is disposing of binbags at £2 each - check your lock FB groups.
And does he have a licence? What is he going to do with it? You’re personally liable if rubbish gets dumped somewhere it shouldn’t be.

@msmith501 you’re in my area, still wish the tip was open too though!

Also wish charity shop was open to drop all the stuff I’ve sorted out, I reckon after lockdown they are going to have so much surplus stuff from people at home sorting out and from people realising they don’t need all this materialistic stuff

It is annoying, our refuse collection is working as normal. However here you can’t put any form of animal waste in the bin, so no dog poo, cat poo, soiled rodent bedding etc. The only option is to take it to the tip, it’s fairly close so I usually do 2-3 trips a week.

I have a cat, I can’t take my own rubbish and put it in a public bin, so I have quite a lot of soiled cat litter sat in binbags in my flat. I did call the council to ask of rules around putting your refuse in a public bin had been relaxed and they said no. So I have had to decant it into dog poo bags and we take a couple out every time we go out. Pain in the arse.