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Binmen told to peer into rubbish
Wednesday 21st October 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Binmen are to snoop through rubbish after the “wrong” materials were dumped in recycling bins.
Nappies and food were among items found in green bins, which Walsall Council said cost it thousands in fines.
Council bosses say refuse collectors have now been told to look into rubbish and not to empty any bins containing illegal waste.
They are writing to 15,000 homes in “trouble” areas of the borough, where there have been regular problems with food waste and other items in green recycling bins.
Those areas include Blakenall, Harden, Goscote, Leamore, Caldmore, Palfrey, Pleck and Birchills.
Bosses say the contamination of waste has prevented tonnes of rubbish from being recycled, incurring extra landfill charges of around £55 per ton.
Cabinet member for environment, Councillor Mike Flower, said: “The vast majority of people are working with us.
“I would like to thank residents for helping us drive up recycling rates to record levels.
“However there is a minority of people still putting food waste and black bags of rubbish into their green recycling bin.”
Despite the setbacks, the borough was on target to recycle 45 per cent of all household waste by the end of 2009, five years earlier than required, said Councillor Flower.
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Nappies in green bins! How ignorant or stupid are some people?
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like the men will have the time or patience to look into bins eh?
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After searching your rubbish, they will then look through your cupboards to make sure you are on a government approved diet. Your lightbulbs will then be inspected to make sure they come up to standard. You will of course have to expect a big council tax increase to cover this search. If you have made a genuine mistake with mixing waste,or have indeed had someone put rubbish in your bin as it is waiting for collection, you may be a terrorist and must be monitored.
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Walsall Council will moan and blow hot air, but wont act on it, I have had problems with neighbours putting their rubbish in my bin, another leaves nappies on top without shutting bin, and several wont take bins in, leaving them on road, one couple with 1 child have pinched bins from empty houses and know have 6, all are emptied by binmen. Council have done nothing.
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We love recycling, it’s nice to be able to do our bit for the planet, but I don’t think that the list of recyclable items that the Council provide is specific enough. There ought to be a longer list, I feel we are putting too much in the landfill bin because we might be getting it wrong.
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Great, Walsall Council are going to focus on ‘trouble areas’, listing all the poorest parts of the borough – snobbery?
Noone in Highagate or Park Hall would ever dream of such ignorant behaviour?
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MESSAGE FOR COUNCILLOR MIKE FLOWERS: Instead of writing to everyone in those “problem areas” why don’t you tackle the individuals responsible? See comment number 4 from Val: Why don’t you tackle her neighbour? The majority of honest, law abiding residents are sick and tired of being penalised for the actions of a minority.
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I’m sure they would hit even higher target levels if they were to collect the selection of paper, plastic and cans the leave on the road after emptying the recycling bins.
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How long will it be befor we find the content from thes bins dumped in country lanes? I wish I knew the answer to these problems but I don’t.
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6. Why target the source of the problem when you can subjugate en masse..maybe that’s the real objective here. You can chip away at a rock with a shovel and it won’t have much impact..but give it enough time, enough shovels..it will topple; bit by bit we’re being conditioned to accept rather than think for ourselves. Target the people responsible.
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Well said, Margaret Hamilton. Councillor Flower could do worse than publish a sufficiently specific list of what can be recycled.
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Who exactly do these Council employees/councillors and bin men work for – ah yes, the public. Maybe if as much time was spent catching criminals as there is people trying to live their lives, life in England would be a hell of a lot better. I think Councils need a darn good clean out of these little dictators.
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No.3. Great to see someone else awake to the bigger picture out there.
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I have been one of those unfortunate one’s that have had Walsall council refuseing to empty by green bin. Reason being i left it out in the morning on my way to work. Only to return to find my bin 3 doors away with a banana skin in there, for this reason i was given a warning and they refused to empty my bin until the next collection date. When i questioned this the complaints department said i was responsible untill the bin is emptied, My My i can see what my manager at work would say if i said i’ll be in late as i have to wait for the bin to be emptied. As i have to make sure nobody put’s anything in there untill it has been emptied by Walsall council.
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these binmen need sacking they just want to do nothing. the refuse binmen come down our street and take a bin round the rest of the street filling the bin from others until they have a full bin, this being so why are the green binmen refusing to take a bin because of a banana skin 9 times out of 10 there is a refuse bin that the lone offending article can be put in. these binmen don’t work half as hard as the great british binmen of yesteryear.
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Why is everyone moaning. Its not difficult to use the correct bin. We do it properly and the black bin is only half full by the end of the week now. Its just laziness.
Also stop having a go at the council there hands are tied by the EU. If they don’t then they get fined meaning higher council tax for everyone.
Your problem is with the EU and not the council and this is what elections are for. If you don’t like EU rules then vote to be out of the EU simple as that.
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I thought waste from green bins was taken to a ‘facility’ to be sorted.
If they can sort paper, card, plastic bags and bottles, cans and tins then I’m sure they can pick out the odd black bag or nappy.
Of course, I don’t actually believe all the recycling IS sorted – I’ve seen the huge piles of ‘recycling’ at Fryers Road and it doesn’t look like the diggers are doing much sorting there.
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