Recycling across the area

[Ian]

One problems with recycling is the garden waste collection system. It makes sense to have a weekly collection between May and September, fortnightly for April and October then once every three or four weeks for the winter months. At this time of the year we're filling enough bags to fuel a power station by ourselves, yet during winter the bags barely go out. I'd have thought they could adapt to that.

[Merddin Emrys]

We had 6 bags of gardening waste out a couple of weeks ago, they only emptied 4, no idea why? Perhaps the truck was getting full?

[Ian]

Possibly.  Everyone is producing a huge amount of garden waste at the moment, so I think they need to move to a more flexible model of collection.

[Merddin Emrys]

Not unexpected at this time ever of year, unless it involves forward  planning by CCBC!

[SteveH]

Call to ban polystyrene fast food containers following success of carrier bag charge.........

England is today celebrating that six billion fewer plastic bags are set to be taken home this year after the country adopted a charge pioneered in Wales.
Single use carrier bags stopped being given away for free in Wales in 2011. Bag usage reduced by 71% between 2011 and 2014 and the 5p charge raised up to £22m for good causes during this time.

The UK Government reports today that the 5p charge in England has raised more than £29m for good causes.
More than seven billion carrier bags were issued by seven main retailers in England in 2014, but this has fallen to “just over half a billion in the first six months” of the 5p charge being in place.

Gill Bell of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) now wants the Welsh Government to lead the way once more and supports a ban on polystyrene fast food packaging.
There is a key concern that polystyrene breaks down into tiny fragments which release toxic chemicals in the water – and also attract other toxic chemicals to their surface. The MCS points out that more than 100 North American and European cities have either banned polystyrene food packaging or are about to.

“Everyone has a responsibility to play their part in ensuring that we all have a more positive impact on the environment which we too often take for granted.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/call-ban-polystyrene-fast-food-11681553

[Dave]

Having had our recycling trolley bis emptied just the once in the last five weeks, and then by special arrangement after several complaints, I am at the point of opting out altogether.
It all started when the department responsible decided to re-organise our local collection. They decided to change our house from a trolley box to green wheelie bins, which we don't have and they won't give us as we are a 2 person household. If we put our trolley box out at the same point as next door who do have a green wheelie bin, ours is ignored whilst next door's bins are emptied. I'm told that's because trolley boxes have 5 different categories, bins only 3 and the combinations are different ( eh? Make sense of that if you will). The other houses along our road have trolley bins but if we put ours out they just drive past as we are not on the list for collection.
Frustrated? You bet !
It's 100m to our pick up point so the containers stay there until such a time as they are emptied. In the meantime rubbish backs up in the house.
Try phoning the refuse department in Mochdre and it's worse than phoning BT. You are usually hanging on for someone to answer for at least 15 minutes. After at least 6 or 7 calls trying to get someone to action our problem I have got fed up of complaining, fed up of sitting waiting in a phone queue waiting for them to answer. I took their automated voice advice and sent an email.An automated response told me they promised to look in to the content and respond within 10 working days....2 weeks. :rage:
I informed them that it doesn't take a genius just to add us to the correct list for scheduled collection. Their verbal responses of referring my problem to the supervisor shouldn't be needed, it doesn't take a genius to solve a simple problem. :rage:
However, the ultimatum is that if they don't collect the recycling tomorrow, the day everyone else's trolley boxes gets sorted (and the one we used to be on) I will simply throw everything in to my black wheelie bin, at least that gets emptied still, albeit every three weeks.
Oh, and I requested they deliver an extra black wheelie bin to make up for it. WWW

Tomorrow is going to be interesting.

[Fester]

It's an embarrassing shambles isn't it?
It's about EU recycling targets, (but we are leaving the EU allegedly), coupled with the desperate need to save money.  Yet they can still pay outrageous and undeserved salaries to endless layers of management and vast amounts to CCBC staff who have been off work sick with 'stress' for over a year!

[Dave]

I'm a big fan of recycling so dumping all my rubbish in one container is not something I want to do.
I do wonder how the Recycling dept work if whoever answers the phone can arrange to deliver as many bins and bags as requested ( at no expense to the household) yet can't make a simple decision to change our collection day to fit in with what is the obvious emptying round.
Don't mention stress or you'll start me off. I had a married work colleague who took a year off with stress whilst starting up their own business. Nothing you could do about it, just had to cover for them. They resigned a week after coming back to work. When I look back now I think who was the mug? Everyone is at it now.

[Dave]

I know you have all been anxiously waiting on my news, once again the collection lorry ignored our trolley boxes.. Black wheelie bin from now on and I'm considering leaving my trolley box outside the council offices to see how long they take to empty it there.

[Fester]

I know you have all been anxiously waiting on my news, once again the collection lorry ignored our trolley boxes.. Black wheelie bin from now on and I'm considering leaving my trolley box outside the council offices to see how long they take to empty it there.

You were left with little choice Dave.

[Meleri]

Dave,

Why don't you go to the top and e-mail Councillor Dave Cowans he is the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services which includes refuse collection etc.His e-mail is cllr.dave.cowans@conwy.gov.uk
I'm sure he would be very interested in what has been going on and you may if your lucky get a result  ££$

[Dave]

Thanks Meleri, I have sent him an email as well as a link to this thread.
We'll see what happens next, indeed we'll see how long it takes to get a response of any kind.
cheers Dave

[Dave]

Received an apologetic phone call from someone on the council who's name and position I failed to grasp. He was phoning as a result of the email to Councillor Cowans being forwarded to him. He has assured me he will look in to it and make sure that the right person actions the necessary to ensure the recycling is collected this week.
Included in the conversation were multiple apologies, mentions of someone being off sick ( stress no doubt), and promises to look in to it and deal with the situation.
I told him I don't want apologies I just want my recycling collecting.

What should have happened is a phone call telling me that action has been taken. You are now back on your correct day for collection, but in the meantime can we send someone to collect your rubbish as it must be growing in volume considerably by now.

Going to the top so to speak makes a difference but it shouldn't be necessary.

[Fester]

Very true Dave, it really shouldn't be necessary, it just illustrates that the layers of line management are unable to deal with a simple issue.

[Dave]

Well someone got their backsides in gear and came and emptied our bins late this afternoon. Had we known that was going to happen we could have taken a whole load more down to the collection point but enough of that, we should be satisfied that at least half has gone now.
I wonder how much influence this forum has had on the outcome? Certainly the suggestion to email Cllr Cowans seemed to get thing moving, mind you he must be a busy man. He forwarded my email but didn't have time to CC me on who it had been passed to, nor the time to tell me he had done something about it. Left that to the minion.
I wonder if they are reading this? It would do them the world of good to do so, along with all our other representatives and employees who's wages we pay.