Cinnamon Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 My husband Brian came across a problem yesterday. He is in the building trade (replacement windowns,conservatories,renovations etc) & he has been employed to supply & fit a kitchen in a house. So, as is normal in the trade, he subcontracted out the kitchen to a friend of ours in the kitchen trade. The units all came in masses of cardboard, so Brian dutifully loaded it into his van to be recycled, but the Kitchen guys were all there laughing at him & telling him just to dump it as they normally do. He was astounded & told them exactly what he thought of not recycling such a huge pile of stuff Another chap who was working on the house said that he often takes recycleable waste out of skips to bring home & recycle. Can you imagine the amount of stuff that is not recycled every day by the building trade - it must be phenominal Maybe the Government should introduce fines at waste depots for dumping recycleable waste....what do you think? And you should see the size of our recycling pile this week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaime Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 We seem to have a problem with recycling.... Our local centre will take plastic milk bottles but not the lids? They dont want any plastic trays or anything else. It seems a shame as many things like the plastic trays that fruit and salad sometimes comes in has the recycle sign on the bottom. So what do we do with it.... Suggestions on a postcard. PS none of it is RED so cant recycle it into a cube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 (edited) There must be so much so packaging that comes with that line of work Sarah that can be recycled. doesn't it make your bloody boil that people find it funny that someone would care so much about recycling. My parents have a problem with fly tipping where they live. There's a lovely big green area at the back of their house, and they regularly get vans dumping their load there. It's so frustrating as it's the people who have to live with it that suffer - not to mention the environment. I think your idea is a good one. I also think it would stretch to the service industry too, as I imagine they have a lot of packaging waste. Jaime, considering Leicester is supposed to be one of the first Environmentally friendly cities, their recycling schemes leave a lot to be desired. No tin cans, no cardboard, no garden waste, no milk bottle lids (or similar)....the list is endless. Edited May 2, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Hey...maybe that is what my chav neighbour is burning on his bonfire! Seriously though......that's appalling! Good for Brian, setting an example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 .... I hope a few others follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 The thing that got to Brian is that they were laughing at him Makes you so I wouldn't employ him again either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Sarah - I've pm'd you about the above mistake I'm so sorry..... the mods will know exactly what I've done - again. I'll have my licence taken off me at this rate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Plastic milk bottle tops cannot be recycled by recycling plants, and have to be cut off the plastic milk containers at the plants, which means (1) a waste of energy and (2) a waste of part of the container, which is chucked away with the lid. So it is obviously better to throw them away at home than to send them to the recycling plant. But charities are very keen to have the tops, as they can be recycled separately. Here at work two of us vie for all the plastic tops for our collections (sheer childish vanity, as we are actually collecting for the same wheelchair charity). Builders should be given more help with recycling. They must get hot and exhausted, and having to separate their waste could be the final straw. Someone at the dump should have the job of trying to salvage as much as possible; or perhaps skips should come with a side slot for cardboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Our local dump won't let in any trailers or vans - they are considered 'trade' so have to pay to use the site (!) Really bad luck if you've got a small car or are 'car proud' and won't put dirty waste in your car. My brother has a trailer and they won't let him in, even though it isn't practical to use his car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 They must get hot and exhausted, and having to separate their waste could be the final straw. That wasn't the problem here.They just thought it was a joke to recycle They were quite "Laddish" about it, if you know what I mean. We will not employ them again, despite a long standing association with them. I agree that builders should be given more help. I had the misfourtune to go to the trade waste tip with The Hubby a few weeks ago as he had rubble & old windows to get rid of. It was a VILE place - rats everywhere, just horrible. We can help too by asking our builders/workers to dispose of their waste in an appropriate manner & to recycle if they can, or take it to a depot ourselves. I also think that it may be a generation thing.I know of a few people of my parents generation who don't recycle & frankly don't see why they should. My In-Laws don't recycle anything as they don't want the clutter of boxes laying around. At least thats one thing the twice weekly rubbish collections will help on.If we have waste collected one week & recycling the next, then people like the In-Laws will be more inclined to recycle as their household waste will be reduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 My OH was laughed at by his friends when he insisted on bringing all the empty bottles and cans home from someone's house party as the guy was just going to bin them.....he claimed there wasn't a recycling pick up by the council so he couldn't recycle.....but he drives every week to a whacking great ASDA and they have recycling bins - sheer laziness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Here at work two of us vie for all the plastic tops for our collections (sheer childish vanity, as we are actually collecting for the same wheelchair charity). Gallina: We throw ours away at work, and I throw mine away at home. Do you fancy some more? They wouldn't cost much to send to you through the post...... Let me know! I'd love to think they were helping in some way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Welly Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Perhaps the building trade should consider they're local allotment assiociation. Allotmenteers are alwasy glad of pallets and windows and other bits and bobs are as we are pretty inventive. My neighbour burns all his excess pallets whereas everyone knows they make good compost bins and fences at the allotment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 (edited) Here at work two of us vie for all the plastic tops for our collections (sheer childish vanity, as we are actually collecting for the same wheelchair charity). Gallina: We throw ours away at work, and I throw mine away at home. Do you fancy some more? They wouldn't cost much to send to you through the post...... Let me know! I'd love to think they were helping in some way. Ditto! Great idea Annie! I can collect ours too and send them if you like? Just think if we all send them to you, you will beat your friend hands down! Edited May 2, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 It's very good of you to offer to collect tops. I am just worried that it might be better for you to give the postage costs to charity. The amount raised is very low: £50 per ton. It only works because lots of people are doing it. I enjoy doing it because I am trying hard to recycle everything I possibly can: it is becoming a fetish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHen Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Something along these lines really got my goat today. The local freebie paper is winding everyone up to complain to the council about our green (non-recyclable waste) wheelie bins being collected only once a week. This has only just been introduced as we have just been given grey bins (for glass, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles - no lids!). People have been complaining because they are worried about collections every other week - but I just can't understand why. Even after 2 weeks our non recyclable bin isn't full, whereas the one for recycling is bursting. If I had my way - it would be the other way round, recycling collection every week It just annoys me because I'm sure people just aren't recycling what they should I do think it is a generation thing - I often hear people of my Mum / Auntie's generation complaining that they have to separate things out, but no-one of my era Don't know why they're complaining, at least we just have one bin to put it all in, rather than separate boxes like some places...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 We get our recycling picked up every week here (but no glass collection ), and Midlothian was the same when we lived there (But they did collect glass! ), with a fornightly bin collection for the non-recycling bin. How can you whinge about that?! Chookiehubbies uncle refuses to sort his rubbish into the seperate bin "because he's not a binman so why should he do the job of one?" Our council-run tips also refuse entry to any kind of van or trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Good for Brian Sarah! he's such a good bloke to stand up for his principles. We had a problem at work with our recycling.. our local council, which gets a heavy govt subsidy to introduce residential recycling programmes and is always banging on about them, doesn't have a facility for commercial recycling! I have had to organise and pay for a company to come and collect ours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom and Barbara Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 well done brian, good for you! the only thing we have no place to recycle is plastic, which frustrates me as supermarkets still use so much plastic i heard inklings that they were going to start charging for recyling - has anyone else heard that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
