I find it a bit grating to read all the PP exhorting the OP (who I think is a single parent?) to create less rubbish -along the lines of ‘well there are only 2 of us but it takes us 6 months to fill the bin so I really don’t know what you’re doing tralala’ or whatever.
For one thing, if you have 4 children living with you full time, your waste position will be completely different from that of a childless couple, or a couple whose children just come to stay in uni holidays. Really completely different. Especially at Xmas when any missed collection will just lead to disaster.
For another, waste disposal is a lot like healthy eating in that it’s a lot more difficult to keep on top of it if you are time-poor (as single parents tend to be) and stressed and run ragged with other commitments. The less time you have, the more likely you are to rely on convenience foods, and the less likely you are to have time or energy or head space (or even the physical stamina) to sort through rubbish, compact it, ensure it is put on the right day etc (in our area for instance we have to remember 4 different collections a fortnight, all on different days, and because we are not allowed to use bins, only bags, have to put the right bags out each time, by 7am on the correct day but not before 7pm the night before 🤯).
I rather think this is another example of relatively privileged people not understanding the challenges that can be faced by time-poor and stressed single parents. (The Marie Antoinettes of mumsnet, you could say.) There are many aspects of life that are easier if you are in a couple and relatively prosperous - healthy eating is one, looking after your mental well-being is another, and keeping on top of waste in our very complicated modern system is just one more.