Ask a waste management professional anything...
Discussion
The forum sees a constant (re)cycle of threads about our waste, kerbside collections, recycling centres, recycling, disposal and, even, one dedicated to recycling plant fires!
And, as well as some great discussion, all are littered (SWIDT?) with poor assumptions about how or why certain things are done.
As for me:
- I've worked in waste management for both public authorities (councils!) and in the private sector
- I've delivered contracts for everything from PFI waste treatment facilities to landfill contracts
- I've created and deployed strategies to deal with everything from municipal waste and recycling collections, through to recycling centres and fly-tipping
- Currently, I lead a business which moves over 2 million tonnes of other people's waste a year and processes and disposes of around 400,000 tonnes per year.
So go ahead - ask me why one council accepts yoghurt pots and another doesn't
There's a few PHers with knowledge of this sector and I'd welcome their input in addressing any questions too
And, as well as some great discussion, all are littered (SWIDT?) with poor assumptions about how or why certain things are done.
As for me:
- I've worked in waste management for both public authorities (councils!) and in the private sector
- I've delivered contracts for everything from PFI waste treatment facilities to landfill contracts
- I've created and deployed strategies to deal with everything from municipal waste and recycling collections, through to recycling centres and fly-tipping
- Currently, I lead a business which moves over 2 million tonnes of other people's waste a year and processes and disposes of around 400,000 tonnes per year.
So go ahead - ask me why one council accepts yoghurt pots and another doesn't
There's a few PHers with knowledge of this sector and I'd welcome their input in addressing any questions too
How come you can fined for leaving your bin out on non collection day, but the bin men leave it in the middle of the pavement or even road instead of taking it back to the place they collected it from?
As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
V8mate said:
The forum sees a constant (re)cycle of threads about our waste, kerbside collections, recycling centres, recycling, disposal and, even, one dedicated to recycling plant fires!
And, as well as some great discussion, all are littered (SWIDT?) with poor assumptions about how or why certain things are done.
As for me:
- I've worked in waste management for both public authorities (councils!) and in the private sector
- I've delivered contracts for everything from PFI waste treatment facilities to landfill contracts
- I've created and deployed strategies to deal with everything from municipal waste and recycling collections, through to recycling centres and fly-tipping
- Currently, I lead a business which moves over 2 million tonnes of other people's waste a year and processes and disposes of around 400,000 tonnes per year.
So go ahead - ask me why one council accepts yoghurt pots and another doesn't
There's a few PHers with knowledge of this sector and I'd welcome their input in addressing any questions too
Do you sport headwear appropriate to your role?And, as well as some great discussion, all are littered (SWIDT?) with poor assumptions about how or why certain things are done.
As for me:
- I've worked in waste management for both public authorities (councils!) and in the private sector
- I've delivered contracts for everything from PFI waste treatment facilities to landfill contracts
- I've created and deployed strategies to deal with everything from municipal waste and recycling collections, through to recycling centres and fly-tipping
- Currently, I lead a business which moves over 2 million tonnes of other people's waste a year and processes and disposes of around 400,000 tonnes per year.
So go ahead - ask me why one council accepts yoghurt pots and another doesn't
There's a few PHers with knowledge of this sector and I'd welcome their input in addressing any questions too
A500leroy said:
How come you can fined for leaving your bin out on non collection day, but the bin men leave it in the middle of the pavement or even road instead of taking it back to the place they collected it from?
As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
Try taking your kids to school on their scooters on non day! Cars parked on the pavement as well as bins tossed everywhere! Nightmare. As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
So OP your not an actual binman then?
We separate our glass, cans and plastic into a separate bin, I am very careful with what I put in this and everything is washed. I have noticed that several of my neighbours seem to put any old junk in there including lots of food plastic that is clearly dirty and I suspect not recyclable.
What happens in this situation, is it all sorted as a lot of people believe, or is the whole thing just chucked in the landfill anyway which is what I suspect happens?
What happens in this situation, is it all sorted as a lot of people believe, or is the whole thing just chucked in the landfill anyway which is what I suspect happens?
A500leroy said:
How come you can fined for leaving your bin out on non collection day, but the bin men leave it in the middle of the pavement or even road instead of taking it back to the place they collected it from?
As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
I'm as frustrated as you are about how some crews leave the street scene. I carefully place my various bins and bags and boxes at the perimeter of my property on collection day, only to come home and find them clearly tossed to wherever they landed somewhere in the street. Why can't they just put them back where we put them out?As a postie I hate bin day as I have to play 'bin maze' and fight a route through tossed aside bins!
Part of the problem, I'd suggest, is the over-reliance on agency staff. I also find that councils who have contracted their services out tend 'tend' to provide a better (more consistent?) service than those who run their crews in-house. The latter are far more belligerent and get away with so much more than those employed by a private sector firm.
I always give ours a few crates of beer and some cash at Xmas; it's a fairly stable crew (same team for last 2-3 years - so I guess the employer is doing something right)
What's your policy on your street teams accepting gifts?
What makes it an "attractive" job in the current job market? The hours? What is your attrition level like?
What's your policy on your street teams accepting gifts?
What makes it an "attractive" job in the current job market? The hours? What is your attrition level like?
illmonkey said:
Why do you keep putting my bin over the entrance to my drive?! It's really not hard to put it back where it was, in fact anywhere along the f
king pavement, just not in front of my drive so I have to stop, get out the car and move it to park.
To piss you off? Seems to be working. king pavement, just not in front of my drive so I have to stop, get out the car and move it to park. Joey Deacon said:
We separate our glass, cans and plastic into a separate bin, I am very careful with what I put in this and everything is washed. I have noticed that several of my neighbours seem to put any old junk in there including lots of food plastic that is clearly dirty and I suspect not recyclable.
What happens in this situation, is it all sorted as a lot of people believe, or is the whole thing just chucked in the landfill anyway which is what I suspect happens?
Well, it's definitely not landfilled. That old trope really needs to be put to bed.What happens in this situation, is it all sorted as a lot of people believe, or is the whole thing just chucked in the landfill anyway which is what I suspect happens?
A small amount of contamination will, literally, come out in the wash, and is factored in. But anyone who mixes materials when directed not to, or leaves significant contamination stuck to it, could well end up having a load of several tonnes rejected. And, at that point, it's not definite, but there's a risk that it could end up in landfill. At best, it'll be incinerated to generate some electricity, but it won't be recycled.
Mr Penguin said:
Why do some councils refuse to take bins which are ever so slightly ajar, but others take any overflowing bin as well as bin bags left at the side?
It's simply a policy to encourage recycling - by having an absolute maximum you can put into the residual (non-recyclable) waste stream.CheesecakeRunner said:
How fit do you get? One of our binmen is actually a bingirl and seems to be permanently running after the wagon, with a fag on the go. I’m impressed by her, and the others level of fitness as they’re always jogging.
And do you ever get used to the smell?
Sorry - you should have read past the thread title And do you ever get used to the smell?
As for the smell, you don't notice it after about 10 minutes.
V8mate said:
I'm as frustrated as you are about how some crews leave the street scene. I carefully place my various bins and bags and boxes at the perimeter of my property on collection day, only to come home and find them clearly tossed to wherever they landed somewhere in the street. Why can't they just put them back where we put them out?
Part of the problem, I'd suggest, is the over-reliance on agency staff. I also find that councils who have contracted their services out tend 'tend' to provide a better (more consistent?) service than those who run their crews in-house. The latter are far more belligerent and get away with so much more than those employed by a private sector firm.
Going to disagree on this one. When I managed the service for an LA we had our own in-house crew (working a job-and-finish arrangement...), as well as owning all our own trucks. The crew all lived locally and kept the place as tidy as they could - all spillages cleared, bins left tidy, litter picked up as they went. It helped that the centrepiece of the LA is a world famous beach and is always on the news somehow. Not sure if there's any difference since they moved to contract staff - haven't been back in a while - but I think the idea of not sPart of the problem, I'd suggest, is the over-reliance on agency staff. I also find that councils who have contracted their services out tend 'tend' to provide a better (more consistent?) service than those who run their crews in-house. The latter are far more belligerent and get away with so much more than those employed by a private sector firm.
tting on your own doorstep is valid.V8mate said:
RogerDodgerSuperTodger said:
ETA: Do the wagons weigh my bin?
That will almost certainly be the future. It's used by some refuse vehicles collecting waste from businesses, but 'pay as you throw' will be a key part of the council tax of the future. I hope so, anyway.
Linked to my original Q - if my bin is too heavy how is it rejected, does a bin man say ‘to heavy’ and leave it, or does the wagon?
Ta
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