UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I think it is a bad idea as there will be more fly tipping in residential areas.Also there will an increase in vermin.

There's a lot of vermin where I work...........but they've got two legs...............(oops!)

You better get the exterimnators before you have an infestation.

I say no because council tenants where I am are not provided with pest extermination

When I worked for a government department my job was to research ways of dealing with municipal waste and recycling. To do this I used to have bin lorries empty their contents into my pilot plant where we were developing composting and recycling systems. It was like a large barn and we never had vermin problems so from expereince I disagree that fortnightly colections lead to increased vermin. Certainly in rural ans sub-urban areas.

We have weekly collections and I only put my bin out when it is full, usually every other week, sometimes once every three weeks and we have no vermin problems.

Recycling can be done without need for seperate bins and putting everything into one. The system I helped develop is in use in mainland Europe. It is automated to seperate metals, plastics, paper/card then then each category is further sub-divided. We proposed this be financed through local government taxes. Instead we see loads of adverts for recycling both on tv, radio and printed media. Then there are two or three types of refuse vehicles (domestic waste, garden waste and recycled material) which in itself adds to pollution. It was shown back in 1991 that an automated system would cost no more to set up compared to what we have now which was introduced over the last 5 years.

Me and my team were ready to go ten years earlier when mainland Europ started to take the lead. I tried to get funding to set up my own scheme, but got refused a waste management licence. 2 years later the lcoal council applied for one and their application was word for word like mine. Unfortunatly I could not take legal action through lack of funds. It then took about another 7 years or so to put their palns into action.

You perhaps gathered I feel strongly on this matter!

Live in my area darling, you might think different!

A fortnightly recycling scheme was introduced in our residential area last year by the local authority, Lancaster City Council. The service is deliveried by the Councils direct works department, City Contract Services.........the traditional jobs for the boys arrangement! Our scheme has yet to provide us with a container for plastics. By volume plastic supermarket milk containers are the largest items in our bin!

Based on our experience I have answered no to the poll but that because ioho it has been badly implemented by a consistently appalling performing local authority.

We totally agree to recycling and participate in the scheme to the best of our ability and limited time
as economic slaves thanxs to inflation busting council tax rises and central/local revenue generating schemes.

Our scheme is not user friendly and as Gareth says
its years behind. Thats really interesting about the outcome of your application to start a private scheme Gareth.

It has generated an increase in litter in our area and its inevitable that this will create increased rodent actiivty. The main reasons we see as why it generates more litter/poor hygiene is due to:-

1. the bins have to be put out on the pavement usually the night before to meet crack of dawn collections.
2. the large black non recycling bins are not large enough for a family of 4 for a two week collection cycle. The result is that you overfill the bin with rubbish in supermarket plastic bags so the lid does not close.
Our council will leave any bags which are not in the bin uncollected.
3. the green box bins for paper, cardboard, glass etc have lids that easily blow off in winds. we put bricks n them. A couple of months ago we had gale force winds and the streets were full of litter with boxes in the`road! Non of the council workers picked up of any of this litter.
4. the worst collecion service is the green scheme.
If the boxes are too heavy the council workers refuse to empty it and are carless when emptying
the contents into the refuse collection vehicle. They never pick up litter which falls onto the street. Their motivation appears to be to get the job done asap with a total disreagrd for quality of service, their attitude sucks! They also just throw the containers back on the pavement or in front of our drive and they can remain there or further down the street if they are blown away when we return from work at the end of the day. We have complained on numerous occasions about the poor service but nothing changes as its internally investigated.

5. the large green and black bins unless they are regularly washed end up bing fly and maggot infested, especially in the hot summer months.

The refuse collection service we received prior to this was faultless, polite and happy collectors who collected from your door and were happy to help.
Th nubr now in the collection angs is pobably half what it used to be.

It would be interesting to expose the truth of the accountaility of this service. we susect its another opportunity being taken up by government to generate more revenue. They are now talking about chipping our bins to oharge on a weight basis and a £50 annual charge for disposal of grass cuttings in the large green bins has been recently publicised in the the press.

Recently they have stopped dumpng on the local tip as its full and all rubbish is being transported by lorry toa tip site in Fleetwood, aout 30 miles distant. How environmentally friendly is that?

Its a bad idea and backward step.
Local government needs more support instead of mandates, they cannot afford.

Our rubbish is collected weekly and recycling fortnightly. We have a green wheelie bin for garden waste and a box for paper, glass and tins. There are recycling facilities for plastic bottles in one of the car parks in the town centre.

Our rubbish sacks have to be placed at the boundry of the property before 7am therefore most people put it out the night before, me included, it is then got at by various animals resulting in split rubbish sacks and smelly pavements. The bin men often don't collect until well after 7am and never pick up what has dropped out of the bags. Result food remains on the pavement which is a hazard to people and animals alike.

I would have no objection to the rubbish being collect every other week so long as the council provide suitable bins to put it in.

Lesley.

I have green for garden, blue for recyclable and black for normal rubbish. all collected two weekly. green and blue i can handle. but in the summer the black begins to stink and no matter what we do we end up with maggots and have to tip it all out and clean it out. and thats with double bagging everything and using bin liners.
i think black bins should be weekly