This was exactly my experience when I lived in Ealing.
The recycling crew seemed to think their duties consisted of:

- turning up once a week;
- checking carefully to see if anyone had left out their recycling bin;
- if so, tipping their bin over and emptying its contents all over the pavement;
- fucking off again.
( .Yeti., Thu 27 May 2010, 17:59, Reply)