Back on April 27th I wrote a piece entitled 'What a load of rubbish', outlining a new plan for robbing us blind over rubbish collection.
In future, if we throw away just one small bag of rubbish per week, we will be charged between €130 and €150 pa for simply thinking about it, then another €80 or €100 pa for actually placing our black bags in the rubbish bin itself. The bins will only open after having been accessed by a personal electronic tag, which will count our every usage.
I see several consequences of this bright idea. Vandalism (very popular in France) will be high on the list; a sharp kick to the computery bit will disable it pretty quickly, and all access with then be 'free'. Others may simply throw their black bags into a hedge from their cars; having made sure that no evidence of 'the thrower' is left inside. And a third option will be to dig a deep hole in the garden and bury all cans, bottles etc; with the rest being burned.
At present we compost all vegetable matter, we burn paper, and the rest is taken to our local recycling bins. We are reasonably conscientious; but not 100% perfect.
Any day now, a (well paid) man will call at the house to help us fill-in a complicated form (name, address, etc). Personally I think there should be fewer meddling bureaucrats, and more free rubbish collection bins; but who am I to suggest such a thing!
The crazies can now say what a raving lunatic I am!
I think there may be lots of small amounts of 'fly tipping', as it is called in England.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt it for one minute... anything to save money!
DeleteI'm sure someone will alter the lock with a cordless drill. Particularly if it's in a fairly secluded place. I don't know what your equivalent of council tax is but we get to pay £1600 a year for the privilege of being able to throw 2 black bags and 2 orange recycling bags, plus a food waste bucket every 2 weeks!
ReplyDeleteWe presently pay for refuse collection on our annual rates bill, but that will be replaced by this new tax, which will, no doubt, rise each year.
DeleteDo you have an equivalent of council tax? If yes and this is a cost on top of that then it could explain why so many people didn't want to continue in the EU!!
ReplyDeleteOur annual rates aren't too bad. This is yet another back door tax.
DeleteCouncils are notoriously different in their choice of 'rubbish' collection. It's the little old lady that has to drag a heavy wheely bin in it's turn THROUGH their house for the collection I am sorry for. For every system someone will find a way of avoiding payment.
ReplyDeleteI wish they'd simply accept that councils have to collect our rubbish, and spend whatever's necessary.
DeleteMy daughter lives in Lancing and they are just beginning a fortnightly collection. Good luck to the larger families especially in the summer heat, those bins will be disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBriony
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When they begin to see all the fly-tipping, and the extra cost that creates, they might think again!
DeleteDon't you have some sort of council tax in France?
ReplyDeleteAt present the charge for refuse disposal is added to our annual council tax, but in future we'll pay a flat rate, plus extra for each time we open a bin. Charming.
DeleteRubbish collection, an optional extra. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteNot 'optional' I'm afraid. We'll have to pay a flat rate even if we use the actual bins or not. To use them is extra.
DeleteWhat stupid bureaucracy.
DeleteWe now have fortnightly collections and now have to pay for our green waste to be taken away which used to be free and all was weekly. This makes things a little difficult as our daughter, her boyfriend and our granddaughter are staying with us... as you know, babies provide a great deal of waste 😂 !!!!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest a large hole in the ground.
DeleteLocal governments here are always trying to find ways of getting more of our money. I am all for encouraging people to recycle, but when fees are already charged and increased yearly, and then other charges and placed on the same service, I get angry (and poorer) also.
ReplyDeleteThey should be encouraging people to recycle; this way they'll discourage them!
DeleteWe have four large wheelie bins: 2 for recycling, 1 for organic garden waste and 1 for un-recyclable waste. The 2 recycling bins are emptied 4-weekly. The others are emptied every two weeks. We have a free recycling centre not far from Stornoway. Only commercial waste is charged for. The cost is met from our Council Tax. There is little or no fly-tipping.
ReplyDeleteIf the council live up to their obligations, there is no need for fly-tipping. If they charge a fortune for taking away very scrap of waste, they are asking for trouble; and will get it.
DeleteI think it must be around 8 years ago now that all rubbish collection was stopped in our village (and other local villages) in favour of large "bins" ("bennes") dotted around the area that take household rubbish bags, glass, plastic and cans, and paper, and sometimes old clothes. Everything else has to go to the recycling plant. So we have nothing picked up whatsoever from outside our homes. At first I thought I would hate it and everything would be a mess but it isn't at all. These bins are not eyesores as such and are kept clean, and I soon learned to just throw my household rubbish bags into my car when I went out (or I could walk to one of these bins about 50 metres away). Oh and I just got my annual bill for this service - €118 for the year, so I'm quite happy with it! But that is on top of my taxe d'habitation and taxe foncière (which I guess are the equivalent of council tax in the UK), and which work out at around €120/month. I wouldn't like to have your new system though!
ReplyDeleteI think it's going 'nationwide' in France before long. For most people it'll be an extra €250 pa.
DeleteReading this makes me realise Cro that we are very lucky here. Our rubbish collection is paid for out of our Council Tax and the 'rubbish' is collected once a fortnight - we put the bin at the bottom of the drive. For £22 a year we can choose to also have a green bin into which we can put our garden rubbish - lawn mowings, hedge clippings, weeds etc. if we have nowhere for a compost heap - but the green bin is entirely voluntary.
ReplyDeleteWe were all so complacent, and happy, before. Most country people are conscientious about waste, and only throw away the essential. Now we are being made to feel 'guilty', and will be fined!
DeleteDoesn't seem very well thought through. People will find work arounds, such as sharing bins, or accumulating rubbish away from the bin and opening it just once every 4 weeks., or leaving it propped open so it is only used once, or just breaking the mechanism.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of simply leaving them open.... I wonder if that will be possible?
DeleteIn the 1950s the only rubbish we put in our bin was ash. Once a week a covered lorry would arrive and a bin man would tip the contents into the back. And then return the bin to its proper place. He'd be whistling and joking as he worked. Of course we had no plastic in those days. Bottles and jars were returned to the shops or left outside for such as the milkman and the others washed and used again. Other rubbish we threw on the fire which was used not only to heat the house and roast the chestnuts but to make toast using a toasting fork. We didn't even have batteries. The radio worked with valves which took a few minutes to warm up. Our modern life style has its price to pay and it's no good complaining about it.
ReplyDeleteYou've just reminded me; our ash went onto a footpath that became totally solid and weed-free. I still do the same, with just the occasional bucket going onto the compost.
DeleteI pay $600 per year on top of my property taxes for the pick up of household waste. There is just the two of us now. My single son pays the same, as does a family of nine who live next to us!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds roughly what we'll be paying, although no-one comes to the house to collect. We are too rural.
DeleteI listened to a discussion today of the place of the garment industry in global warming (they contribute 8%) and how they need to address the problem. One solution is mine; stop buying so damn many pieces of clothing.
ReplyDeleteTo apply the logic to home waste, I think biggest contributor now is in your hand. Advertising and media need to bear a cost of all the junk mail they send round to our trash cans.
Every Monday I have a pile of advertising in the post. I don't mind the one from my supermarket telling me of 'bargains', but the rest goes directly to be burned. I imagine that every other household does the same.
DeleteWe Pay 160€ a year for 4 giant 160 liter bins. One is for paper (collected once a month), one for biodegradable waste (twice), one for packaging (the green dot, once) and one for other waste (once). And we can have as much yellow bags for packaging as we want for free.
ReplyDelete