Bullied by the council
I feel like I am being bullied by Surrey County Council. This is for why.

We have long been required to put recyclable materials into a recycling box. If we put recyclable materials into the normal bin, we get a fine. Fine.

Yesterday 4 new bins were delivered to my door. So I now own the following bins:

1 old wheelie bin;

1 general recycling bin;

1 indoor recycling bin;

1 new bin for cardboard;

1 new general bin;

1 new indoor bin to deposit food waste;

1 new outdoor bin in which to transfer food waste.

In addition to which, I am encouraged by my next door neighbour to share her hedge clippings (“green waste”) bin, so that makes 8 bins.

Any small area of greenery in front of the houses in my road is now completely covered in gargantuan plastic bins. Next door have encouraged their children to graffiti over every bin, to nurture their creative sides, so these environmental pursuits have left the road looking like moss side in the 90s (probably).

In the food waste bin, I am not allowed to deposit food wrapped in a plastic bag, so presumably when it has been collected, I have to scrape the old beans and bacon rinds and whatever from the inside of the bin, wash it, and then put it back outside. Additionally, I have to live with a week’s worth of leftovers sitting in my indoor bin. I had already been given a composting bin by the council (count them – that’s 9!) for my odourless vegetable peelings.

The final piece of good news is that all of the various bins are to be collected at different days of the week, so I have no need for an alarm clock any more.

If at any point I should accidentally put the wrong rubbish in the wrong bin, I run the risk of being prosecuted for murdering the environment.

It all seems a bit unnecessary as my household produces less than a small carrier bag of rubbish per week.

So for length of pomposity and radio 4-ness.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Tue 19 May 2009, 11:27, 7 replies)

Clicks in total sympathy
Its just mad isnt it :(
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 19 May 2009, 12:23, closed)

I'll take one...
...off your hands, we only have one big bin in the flats I live at, they clearly don't believe in recycling!? :(
(Flim-Flam the Magnificent "You is talking loco and I like it!", Tue 19 May 2009, 12:59, closed)

SSR
Surrey need to invest in a Single Stream Recycling (SSR) plant like the one my council has. All our recyclables go in one pink bag and a dirty great machine with magnets, sieves and Albanian illegal labour sorts it out for you.

I can't think of a more stupid and irritating system than the one you are subject to.

You're right about the Radio 4 ishness of it. My council looks after one of the roughest, poorest and most densely populated parts of England and I just don't think the workers there have the time to read the Guardian and concoct these ridiculous schemes. They are shite in a myriad other ways though, but credit to them for this.

[edit: spelling]
( Scrumper, Tue 19 May 2009, 13:54, closed)

sorry to hear
that's wheelie rubbish
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Tue 19 May 2009, 13:59, closed)

WHERE'S YOUR WHEELIE BIN?
www.sickipedia.org/search.php?q=wheelie+bin
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 19 May 2009, 14:05, closed)

I live up north
we just throw it in the river.
(TheColonel, Tue 19 May 2009, 15:57, closed)

And the most annoying thing is....
...you're actually PAYING them to do this!!
(greatoldone Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl f'tagn, Wed 20 May 2009, 12:08, closed)