Some of you may remember a post I did called Seriously - Too hard where I explained how our green recycle bin nearly wasn't emptied. Little did I know this saga was in fact not over. On Saturday I nipped up to our local town and when I got back home, I saw the council's small collection vehicle pull into our road, and two binmen get out clutching leaflets. As one went to ring my doorbell, I saw the other peering down the side of the house, "Can I help you?" I said. "We've come to collect your recycle bin, our records show it wasn't emptied. Oh dear, your day just turned sour my friend, your gonna wish you hadn't rung the great bell of #CastleCannon
On Friday, the day before, I'd spoken to my next-door neighbour about the bin confrontation, "Yeah, I saw you having a bit of a set to with the binmen I explained how they refused initially to take it because of a plastic washing up bowl and how I had removed it and had to almost demand they take it once the supposed offending item was removed. "You know what that's about don't you? That was some supervisor bloke from the council office. They rejected half the round from what I've heard. Interestingly that fitted in with what one of my fellow dog walkers up the park had said earlier that morning when he complained that I'd jinxed him with my recycle bin story because when he got home his bin too had been rejected for having a plastic coat hanger in it.
"My bin has been emptied" I said to the binman who was clutching a bunch of leaflets presumably listing only the high grade, high value, recyclable waste the council wanted in the green bin. "Emptied? Our records show it wasn't" he said. I spent the next few minutes going over the story about the plastic bowel and that I now knew that the guy who rejected it was in fact a bit of a jobsworth by all accounts. The binman stuck to the same line as the supervisor, "We don't take hard plastic in the recycle bin" Christ if I hear that one more time I'll scream, but then the binman dropped the ball: "It costs us money if the wrong stuff is in the recycle bin. The company who buys it deducts money for items it doesn't take. Now, folks, I want you to burn that line in your head "It costs the council money." Before I launched into my tired and a good few times during it I pointed out that I understood he was just doing his job, it wasn't his fault blah, blah, blah. I explained that the Council has to take the waste away by law under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 I agree Councils can make rules about bins but if push comes to shove they are legally obliged to take it away. Are we still keeping "It costs the council money." in our head? I then went on to say how I'd done a quick cursory search on the internet and found a couple of company's that recycle washing up bowls, for example, Addis a well-known kitchenware manufacturer sells recycled washing-up bowls to which he responded that the company they have a contract with (It began with Z, but I forget its name now) doesn't take them. I retorted that it wasn't my fault the council had made a bad deal and that in reality, while some cursory segregation should, I agree, be done by the householder ultimately given they have a waste transfer station the Council should further segregate it before selling it on to which he responded with, yep you've guessed it "It costs the council money." but I was waiting, I played my trump card. "But hold on. There's two of you here on I suspect overtime? With another vehicle doing the round that was done on Thursday for what is in fact a second time. Isn't that costing the council money?"
The poor guy looked like he'd been sucker-punched well I was right, wasn't I? He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "If you want to make a complaint you can write to the person on this card." I probably won't simply because I'll be wasting my time it's just annoying that I have to stand looking out my window on a Thursday to make sure my goddam bin gets emptied.
