Fury as binmen leave bag over plastic row
Friday 25th September 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Binmen refused to take a white recycling bag from a Wolverhampton home – because the owner had “contaminated” it with the wrong type of plastic.
Hospital worker Lynn Hutchings had filled her controversial recycling sack with two weeks’ worth of cardboard and plastics.
But binmen refused to collect any of it because the 60-year-old had also put a plastic tray used to carry pears inside.
Bosses at Wolverhampton City Council today admitted workers had made a blunder and said all recycling staff had now been reminded of the correct procedures. Hospital worker Mrs Hutchings said she could not understand why workers did not simply remove the tray.
The New Cross Hospital worker said: “What a waste of time. After filling our white bag with cardboard and plastic for a fortnight, the binmen decided they wouldn’t empty it because we had contaminated it with a plastic tray and bag that had contained pears from M&S.
“The bag was full with all the correct things but because those who empty them could see these items on top, they decided they couldn’t take it. Why couldn’t they have just removed the tray and took the rest?
“I was fuming and went running down the road after them but they still wouldn’t take it and couldn’t care less.”
Mrs Hutchings, from Jeffcock Road, Penn Fields, said she originally vowed to stop recycling following the incident.
Alistair Merrick, council chief officer for commercial services and public realm, said: “The recycling operatives should have collected the recyclable waste, left the non-recyclable plastics with Mrs Hutchings and contacted her to advise her.
“Unfortunately, this did not happen. This has been dealt with by the management team and the correct process has been reiterated to all plastic and card recycling crews.”
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What a bunch of stazi pillocks, no common sense, no decency. To think they wonder why people don’t recycle….
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bin men do a great job, but i must say that i have had the same experience with recycling. We recycle everything and make trips to the tip to recycle what the normal collection doesnt take.
Our recycling men have left all out cans and glass on numerous occasions and just taken the cardboard. Sometime i think they just cant be bothered!!
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Quite frequently we leave our green bin out, once a fortnight as told, and it doesn’t get emptied!! We then sometimes have a full green bin for over a month!
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typical idle council workers….where can i get an application form from???!!!??
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what the council actually mean by there statement that the people in question have been dealt with is that they all sat in the office having a laugh about this issue. I can sympathise with this lady and others who have also had issues like these.
I contacted these same people who didnt empty a neighbours bin. He had gone on holiday and asked me put out the bin out for him. I did as he asked and the bin men totally missed it, (probably on purpose). I contacted the offices I was told that the neighbour had to ring in himself??!!! how stupid is that.
I thought the council was supposed to be implementing an ALL plastic collection but that will probably be available in about 5 yrs time.
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dont bother recycling then – put everything in black bags and dont stress about it.
I certainly wouldnt chase the bin men down the street!!! Crazy
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i have to say that on the last occasion i had to recycle my plastic i put the bag out as per usual at 7am on the friday morn. I happened to notice in the gutter were 2 plastic drink bottles that had been flattened by cars and such like i went to pick them up to put in my recycle bag, but i instead decided to leave them to see what reaction there would be from the recyclers themselves. Low and behold when i came home from work at half past six on the evening the same plastic bottles were still there this despite the normal refuse collecters also collecting on the same day. so tell me please if we are having to recycle then why o why had the collecters of our plastic waste decided it was not there job to pick up to plastic bottles from the gutter. ????????????
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i had a month whereby my local refuse collectors were failing to empty my bins. i called their boss and he assured me that they would sort it on the next collection. this happened for 3 weeks.
So i got all my rubbish and took it to the local councillor and dumped it on his garden. My bins are always emptied now and I have no problems from them. We pay our council tax for this service
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They should bang this women up at the very least, heinous villain that she is, a public flogging would be remedy, she wouldn’t be so cavalier next time, its people look her who are ruining this country.
You couldn’t make it up, could you, if some one had told you 20 years ago things like this could happen in this country you would have laughed at them, wheres it all going to end is the worry.
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recycling!!! its not for our benefit were making money for others not for us,they get the easy life.
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I’ve pretty much stopped recycling now. I lost my first bag a couple of months ago (When I say “I”, I of course mean that the binmen just left it on the floor on a windy day and it blew away) and when I phoned up to obtain another bag, you would think I had murdered someone. The attitude of the person on the other end was atrocious, so when I lost my second one last month, I decided I’m not phoning up for that treatment again, so I’ve just stopped recycling plastics and cardboard.
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SOME OF THESE BINMEN TAKE THE P. THEY ARE LAZY UNKEMPT AND BELLIGERENT. NO WONDER THEY GET AWAY WITH MURDER. ITS ABOUT TIME THEY WERE PUT IN THERE PLACE AND SHOWN THAT THEY ARE HERE TO SERVE US. WE PAY FOR THEM FOR GODSAKE.
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I totally agree with SM we are doing their jobs for them. I want a rebate from my council tax
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The real probblem is we have the wrong quality of binmen – so don’t pay them if they don’t do the job. Employ contract workers that you can just get rid of if they don’t perform.
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Why not put it all in the bin and make prisoners sort for the recycling!
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What a load of rubbish!!!
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I am suprised that the recycle men have anything to recycle when they get back to the depot.They normally throw most of it on the road were I live, leaving the place looking like a slum.
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Just do what you are paid for you idiots.
You are not paid to think, just do it.
ps see how your management team support you as well !!
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I have dreadful problems getting a regular recycling collection, I get ‘forgotten’ regularly. I make a point of phoning the council and making a nuisance of myself EVERY SINGLE TIME. This does work, and its ridiculous, the main collection for our road is one day and I MAKE them come back the next just for mine.
It also annoys me that you can’t actually speak to the relevant department, it all has to be done through this silly City Direct who you have to rely to pass on your messages for you. Direct contact with the recycling department would be much more effective.
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Put the right things in the bag/bin/boxes and they’ll be emptied. It’s quite a simple theory. It states on the actual white bag “Plastic bottle only”. Rocket science it is not.
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Binmen give everyone the impression that everyone should revolve around them, everytime they empty our streets the bins are dumped where every they land.
You put your bin out with the handle facing the wrong way and they’ll “refuse” to take it.
Jobsworths!!
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We left our plastic bag out the other week and some how a drinks can was put in there so they took it out and threw it on my front garden even though the green box for the cans was next to it and the normal refuse bin.
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I left the UK many years ago long before the recycling mode was put in place and from recollection we did not have the problems that seem to abound now! ……. a “Binman” was just that and he emptied a bin of ashes and refuse! …. he also carried it from it’s resting place at the rear of the premises to the cart and returned it empty! …. would seem that much has changed.
In my adoptive home smaller Municipalities source out this work and I have to say that we have none of the problems described here and they are courteous and exhibit commonsense at the times when someone has erred! ……. add to this when I say that our climate is much more severe than the UK and they are always there come Hail, Rain or Snow! ………..
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Well I think that the Binmen do a great job.Its a thankless task (note all the negative comments)I know the wages are very poor they shouldn’t have to put up with the moaning general public.I don’t think I’d fancy handling everyone elses rubbish.Hands-up how many people wash out the bottles etc when recycling.Then imagine having to rifle though all that mucky waste.No Thanks!So I’d like to thank the people who do that on my behalf.
Cheers Guys!!
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I am a bin man before you give us anymore negative comments I would just like to explain that the job I do is not easy and the wages are poor. You would not believe the filth and abuse I have to deal with. We have asked for the councilliors to accompany us on or rounds and not even 1 of the festering leeches showed up. If any one of you big mouths would like to come with me on my round please contact wolverhampton bin depot and ask for Robbo. I will take you out and open your eyes.
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I totally agree, I wouldn’t want to do their job, let alone the abuse they seem to get, and as for that retarded resident learn to read! Plastic bottle! A tray is a tray isn’t it? Surely the majority of Wolverhampton can’t be illiterate? maybe I’m wrong.
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26 – you cpmment about the abuse that they get and then in the same sentence call someone a retard. You really are a numpty
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Robbo I agree with you totally. Don’t empty their bins for the next two months and then see where they all are having to que at their local tip to empty it themselves. Some people don’t know what they have untill they loose it. They want it all wrapped up in gold and their backsides wiping for them.
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