I must say that our bin men are very good here in Brighton. They collect rubbish every day, and things are kept very clean.
However, at each point where the bins are situated, there are several containers for very specific different materials. Cardboard, Glass, Tins, Garden waste, old Clothes, Wood, Feathers, Building detritus, Used plasters, Dead flowers, Plastic, etc.
To add to those, we now have a new one. Cooked and un-Cooked food. So now we know what to do with those few Leftover Chips, Chicken bones, and Apple cores that we've been fretting about for years.
It has always been a worry, where to put those few Peas, Bacon rinds, or Fish bones that we left on the side of the plate. Even that blob of uneaten Mustard has caused hours of panic.
Now all our previous problems have been solved. We can take our plates down to the bins, and scrape off those few bits of leftovers into the new shiny bin.
I hope they do something creative with all this food waste. Feed it to the Seagulls perhaps?
Will we now no longer see half-eaten McBuns on the pavements? Somehow I doubt it.
BUT....... Observant readers will have noticed; the bin is taped closed. Collections will only begin in March, and will take place ONCE A WEEK. I predict a nasty WHIFF.
I assume that you don't have a collection from every house for food waste then? I have a small ( 7/10 litre I think )green plastic lidded container in the kitchen ( provided by the council) and a larger one outside that the bagged waste goes into from the kitchen every few days.....collected every week by the bin men!
ReplyDeleteNothing here is collected house to house, we have groups of bins quite liberally spaced. Our nearest is probably 20 metres away, so I don't have far to go. The service is excellent.
DeleteOver here it all just goes into general waste then taken to be incinerated. Not much recycling here.
ReplyDeleteI expect it's like that in most places, although they wouldn't say so!
DeleteThat extra bin seems a very good idea, providing it's emptied every day - and cleaned regularly.
ReplyDeleteAll our waste food has to be bagged and put into a general waste bin which is emptied every day. It still tends to smell in hot weather. Only occasionally is it cleaned properly when a water tanker comes round with a high pressure hose and gives it a good dousing. I've noticed that some lazy people still just drop their uneaten takeaways on the road by the bins. I've seen it tossed out of car windows as they pass by!
The food bin will only be emptied once a week, so we're expecting a pong! Luckily we don't have one with our bins, but even so....
DeleteYou will need a small kitchen caddy bin in which to gather your plate scrapings etc.. It would be motivating to simply know how that food use is going to be used or processed.
ReplyDeleteI have just bought a container this morning. I was on instruction from Lady M (she's in charge of re-cycling)..
DeleteBe wary Crozier. She might recycle you and replace you with a hunky lifeguard from the beach.
DeleteShe's been threatening that ever since we first met.
DeleteOur council is starting food collections March 1st, we will have 2 bins, one for the kitchen and bigger one outside. I already have a small container in our kitchen which I empty into our composter, we bin very little.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it's happening everywhere. Starmer must have had a word with someone! I've just bought a plastic container this morning.
DeleteThis is a national thing apparently. Our son who licensing Brighton got his good waste bin just before Christmas but the collection doesn't start get no sure when. He lives the Hove end of Brighton and his street the houses have individual bins. Where we live we have had leaflets about the bins being issued some time in the next couple of months. I dread the long in the summer and flies! Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteWith them only being emptied once a week, I would have thought a pong is inevitable.
DeleteThat should read lived in Brighton and food waste not good and pong not long!!! Sue H
ReplyDeleteThe island has general recycling but the little village across on the mainland has bins to separate and recycle every item including food waste. All the bins stink. I went to take a few photos and decided against it. I wonder where the food waste goes. And in the summer?
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea but..... They're great big metal bins. Maybe the whole bin is removed and replaced with a clean one. But opening them to throw in waste must be terrible
You're right.. A great idea, BUT... I wonder how long they'll last, or even if anyone will use them.
DeleteWe live somewhat rural and compost a great deal of our organic waste for the garden. But recyclables require weekly trips to the 'dump' (or more politely known as the 'transfer station') It can be quite a social event as one usually encounters friends and neighbors also flinging away their recyclables into the huge containment areas. There's even a small building/hut to leave usable but unwanted household items which others can then help themselves to, for free. Office chairs abound. The food bin down your street is going to be beyond stinky in warm weather. The raccoons will love it...except I don't think the UK has 'trash bandits' like we do here in the states.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it'll stink, especially as it'll only be emptied once a week.
DeleteOur food waste has been recycled for years. We have a kitchen caddy for peelings and leftovers and a small brown bin outside that's collected every week. The council (in Herts, at least) compost it and then offer the compost free to residents. (I tried a compost bin of my own but it attracted the rats.)
ReplyDelete'Emptied every week'.
DeleteI think previously all our food waste (very little) has just gone in amongst the general rubbish. I hope this new incentive is a success.
DeleteSome of the things that go in the kitchen waste category, compost differently than garden waste. It makes good compost, but needs to be done separately. A little thing to help save the planet for your grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteIn France I had three big compost heaps permanently on the go. Here I have no veg' garden so no incentive. I leave it all to my wife. She's very conscientious.
DeleteSome towns/cities have compost bins for food waste. When cured/aged, the compost is sometimes made available to residents which I think is a good idea. Buying bags of garden compost is expensive and often not very good.
ReplyDeleteI never put anything but vegetable matter on my compost heaps, otherwise it would have attracted Rats. I can't imagine what they're going to do with this stuff!
DeleteI'm still amazed that your bins are collected every day! Ours are collected once a fortnight and even then there is hardly anything in ours, mostly paper and recycling. They are threatening a food bin for us as well shortly but I can tell you now, it won't get used...we have absolutely NO food waste, who can afford to do that these days?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your foxes are going to love that food bin....
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