General Chat

See below...Sue xx

Two men from Epsom and Ewell Council have come and STOLEN my wheelie bin! It was the largest one that they supply and they have left me with a medium sized one! When I tackled them about it I was told that it was damaged and needed replacing. One of the men then broke a piece of the rim off!!!!! I said I needed a large bin to replace the old one and was told they didn't supply them anymore. If I phoned the council they would bring me another small one to make up the size, but I would probably have to pay for it!!!!!! I came indoors to phone the council to complain and was told I would be rung right back. That was 2 hours ago! Of course when I went back out to speak to the men they were driving down the road like loonies! They broke it, not me. Why should I have to make do with a smaller bin through no fault of my own? My neighbours haven't had theirs changed. One of my neighbours told me last week that my bin got stuck in the lifting machinery and a dustman climbed up and threw it from the top of the dustcart! No wonder they listed it as broken! I am so so so mad! If I leave extra black sacks beside the bin next week when the small one is full, I bet they won't take them. Thanks for listening :o) Sue xx

That seems odd dont you think? How did they even know it was broken??? When my son bought his house, they tried to charge him for a new bin(£45) he refused to buy one on the grounds that had been one there when he bought the house. It had been stolen and, as a council tax payer he was entitled to have his refuse collected. After a weeks argueing they delivered a bin. The dirtiest bin they could find. Deanna :O)

we have bins but the lids have to be closed right up or they wont take it - i am running up and down the road on friday mornings trying to find someone elses bin to put my rubbish in!

We have 3 bins - 1 for general rubbish, 1 for garden waste and 1 for paper & cardboard. It's just remembering which one to put out when thats the problem! Jack x

We have bins in Chester ....for GARDEN RUBBISH like grass and stuff....but the hosehold waste has to go in black bags, outside, where cats and dogs drag it all over the place. I got so sick of cleaning it up every week that I bought 2 dustbins and the men still don't know how to put the lid back them.......some of the binmen are too young to remember dustbins!!!! Anne

We have big wheelie bins 1 between three flats. However we have to pay for them in our service charge as they are RENTED. I have lived here for over 10 years now so I would have thought my third of a bin would have been well and truly paid for.

Here in County Down we have THREE bins Black for all household waste Blue for paper, plastic and tins Brown for garden waste We pay for the blcak ones ourselves the council give us the other 2. The blue and black bins are emptied alternate weeks the brown more in summer less in winter - works very well. Of course if you pay for your black bin then its YOURS and no 'orrid yob can take it from you : ) Good luck with the powers of stooooooopidity lol Much happiness Debi

i had the same trouble with our council,i asked for a 2nd bin as there are more than 5 of us in the house, thats what my local councillor said!!!!rang up to be told i couldn't have one as they want to get the percentage of recycle up,i have 2 of these gren bins we fill without fail every week.i even take all my plastic bottles to my mum, whose council collect them. i do my bit for recycling but still i can't have a bin!! just wait til they knock on my door for my vote. as far as i'm concerned they can all get stuffed!

your local council may have a website. Email and complain bitterly. My recycling box blew away on the wind, I emailed our council & within 2 days had a new one. Elaine x

Thanks for all your replies. I still haven't calmed down! I have e-mailed the council, but in their charter they say they aim to reply in 7 days! I'll be down that Town Hall tomorrow if I don't get a reply or a phone call! If you see me on the local news being arrested you'll know why!!! LOL We also have a recycling box for glass and tins, which I noticed was cracked around the rim today - will they pinch that too? The council also issued us with a blue plastic bag for newspapers, but mine blew away because it wasn't put in the empty box as it was supposed to be. These are collected fortnightly. My plastic bottles go to my daughter as her authority recycles them, and she gives me her glass bottles as my council recycles them and hers doesn't. Probably use more in fuel than we save by recycling! LOL Son just came home from work and said 'Who's nicked our wheelie bin?' Now I'm mad again coz I've just told him the saga! One of our local councillors has resigned, now there is a by election on 17 March. They'd better not knock on my door if they know what's good for them! Off to cook his dinner now, I'll keep you all posted! Sue xx

oh sue we had the same problem but we asked for a recycling wheelie bin which we got aftre five days but they took our private refuse bin which we had bought.after numerous complaints they finally tracked the bin down and brought it backxxxx(:

We have two bins - one for garden rubbish, veg peelings and other things that will compost and the other for general household waste....also a green box for steel tins and glass - plus a blue bag for papers and a clear bag for plastic bottles. The only problem we have is knowing what to put out and when.....!!!!!

Our binmen came one day and as they emptied a neighbour bin they spilt the veg peelings on the floor along with glass, and drove away, I phoned and complained, they where made to come back and clear it up (my concern was the kids playing, falling ,cutting themselves),so for the last 5 months if my wheelie bin lid is not shut tight they take something out and leave it behind. Talk about being petty Guess who never got a christmas box this year, I can be just as petty Jan

Just to update you all....... After waiting all yesterday morning for my promised return phone call, I rung Epsom & Ewell Council, explained again, and was passed to 'an advisor' who spoke to me as if I was in my dotage and stupid! After listening to him for a while, I flipped, asked him what right he had to speak to me as if I was an idiot and demanded to speak to his supervisor. After being put on hold listening to muzak for 4 minutes I hung up and re-dialled, demanding to speak to a supervisor. I was told I needed to give my name or the reason before I could be connected. When I gave my name - guess what - the tone changed and I was immediately put through to a very helpful and sympathetic man (I suppose that's what he's paid for! LOL) who explained, not by insulting my intelligence, the reason for my wheelie bin removal. Now why couldn't we poor householders been told that before, they're quick enough to put stickers on every bin if the lid is left raised by a centimetre! The council are phasing out the large bins for 'health & safety reasons'. The poor refuse operatives find it too much to wheel the large bins 6 feet from the pavement to the back of the dustcart and back again, although not in the right place! Makes no difference that we householders are expected to lug the bins from the back of the house to the front of our property (but NOT on the public footpath unless you're a binman!) while they are full. In my case it's up a 40 feet steep slope too! The outcome was, at 7.45 this morning a new medium sized wheelie bin was delivered, to the rear of my property, along with a new recycling box and lid and a new blue plastic bag for my papers! Now I have 2 x 240 litre bins instead of 1 x 360 litre and 2 recycling boxes! Anyone got any rubbish they want to dump? LOL Sue xx

We still have black bags in Surrey Heath, another van follows the dust cart, only picking up other certain items which have to be in a carrier bag. They dont take glass and if you want to dispose of any garden waste, bags have to be purchased at 60p a time. Well with all the money they have squandered its not surprising really. Glad you got it sorted out Sue. Christine

Sue I hope you aren't annoyed anymore. When my husband and I moved into our first house here we got a snotty letter from the council accusing us of having 2 wheelie bins. I soon put them right. The dustmen were OK but wouldn't take any extra rubbish if it wasn't in the bin. Since we've moved to our new house we've had no trouble and the dustmen often put the bin back by our garage after emptying it (we leave it on the drive by the pavement). They will take extra bags etc and don't insist on the lid being closed - though I like to make sure to discourage wildlife and stop stuff falling out/blowing away. The odd thing is that we have only moved 5 minutes' walk away and the same dustmen empty our new bin as emptied the old one. Is it cos we live on a 'posh' estate and look like we might complain if they don't take our rubbish? nell