A few years ago I decided to buy a second wheelie bin. I rang the council and they agreed to supply me with another one for about thirtyfive quid. When the new wheelie bin was delivered I painted my house number on it and began using it.
A few weeks later I discovered one of my wheelie bins had disappeared after the bin men had emptied it...bloody kids, I thought.
I rang the council - they agreed to replace the bin and, a week or so later I had another new bin. Again I put my house number on it (as you do).
A couple of weeks later the second bin vanished...by now I was really angry but, as well as this I became really suspiscious.
The point where my neighbours and I leave the bins for emptying usually has about twelve bins, why was mine being singled out?
The council replaced the bin again and again I numbered it. Each bin emptying day I would race home from work to see if I still had two wheelie bins. My son (by now equally paranoid about who could be nicking our bins) took a day of work once just to survey the scene!!
Sure enough, the one day no one was about the second bin went again!! By now I was deperate!!
The council replaced it yet again and, a few weeks later I was on holiday from work. By chance I happened to se the bin men empty the bins...they emptied my first one then emptied the second, but the second went into the back of the truck with the rubbish!! I ran to them shouting, they told me this happened sometimes, there was nothing they could do!!
I had suspected local people in my neighbourhood of carrying out some kind of vendetta - in reality the bin men were taking my wheelie bin!!
My next bin arrived and I didn't number it - there is no number on it and it has never been taken! I've had two wheelie bins for about two years and they've never been taken.
Conclusion? The council refuse collectors perhaps resent people who have two wheelie bins...or is it just a huge coincidence that this never happened again when I stopped numbering my second bin??

How do you fill two bins a week, have you got 15 kids or something ?

Different size wheelie bin? Our neighbours is a lot bigger than our :mad:

I live in a house that has been converted into five flats, at when we first moved here there was only one bin which was not enough, we rang to ask for another one and they refused saying that each house is only meant to have one bin, eventually we manged to get another when one of the other people living here pointed out that they were getting five sets of council tax out of us.

You could try recycling more of your waste - you'd be amazed how much less ordinary refuse you produce. :)

Originally posted by Evei
... we rang to ask for another one and they refused saying that each house is only meant to have one bin ...
They should have said that each household gets one bin - as you found out. They were either lying through their teeth or incompetent. Either way they should be sacked.

I'm still waiting for some blue bins for my flats. I've walked up and down the road and everybody else appears to have blue bins, even other flats. I phoned Onyx a month ago (and the tenants phoned a year ago) and still no sign.

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JGH

Originally posted by jgharston
I'm still waiting for some blue bins for my flats. I've walked up and down the road and everybody else appears to have blue bins, even other flats. I phoned Onyx a month ago (and the tenants phoned a year ago) and still no sign.

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JGH
You can have mine, I personally have no use for it. feel free to take it, it's at the back of the (hem) "garden" beeing of no use.

Originally posted by Captain_Scarlet
You can have mine, I personally have no use for it. feel free to take it, it's at the back of the (hem) "garden" beeing of no use.

Any reason why you don't use it? I'd take it off your hands if I could - I'm in a shared house, with five others, and we always have a huge pile of paper and card waiting for each emptying day...

When I lived on Eccy Rd, by Banner Cross, our wheelie bin used to go and visit other areas of the street. One time I even found it on the other side of the road, outside Domino's.

Then it disappeared altogether.

So, I did what any self respecting student would do, and stole someone elses.

I'm sorry.

I had our wheelie bin nicked the other year!!!

apparantly a no mark family down the road was suspected as the wheels were used for a go cart!!!

scum

I understood that a normal sized wheelie bin is for a household of 2 people or more, and one of those little skinny ones is for households with one person. There are both types on my road. Now Interestingly, I have a normal sized one which to be honest would last at least a month before it is emptied. But I have noticed that my friend who buys loads of cheap food with lots of packaging fills hers up in about 5 days.

The 90 year old lady next door remembers when the dustman used to come around and empty everyone's little bin in to a larger bin on his shoulder. What wasteful city we have become.

On ecclesall road where I used to live at banner cross, I have noticed that they have simply huge bins, are these for households of 5 or 6 or more I wonder?

I am always careful to bash the plugs back in on the lid hinges, as they work loose quite easily. There are loads of people who have lost their lids completely, after one of their plugs fell out.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
I have a normal sized one which to be honest would last at least a month before it is emptied. But I have noticed that my friend who buys loads of cheap food with lots of packaging fills hers up in about 5 days.
What wasteful city we have become.



I totally agree. I'm a stickler and make sure all our glass/plastic/card/metal is recycled. Even though there are six of us in our shared house, we could probably manage easily with a collection only every fortnight.

Originally posted by Elyndys
I totally agree. I'm a stickler and make sure all our glass/plastic/card/metal is recycled. Even though there are six of us in our shared house, we could probably manage easily with a collection only every fortnight. Has anybody else tried shopping without buying loads of plastic? You should see the face on the supermarket cashier if you present her with naked veg!! I would like to be able to buy things like clothes washing liquid by placing MY bottle in a vending machine.

Originally posted by Strix
Has anybody else tried shopping without buying loads of plastic? You should see the face on the supermarket cashier if you present her with naked veg!! I would like to be able to buy things like clothes washing liquid by placing MY bottle in a vending machine.

Lol, yes, those little plastic bags are fairly evil, and checkout cashiers love to put them on anything - even meat that's already in a packet... O.o;;

I don't know if you're familiar with New Roots, Strix, but they have a shop on Glossop Road near the uni, and one in... Spital Hill, I think. You can go there and refill plastic washing up/laundry liquid bottles for £1.50 a litre (for washing up liquid - can't remember how much laundry liquid is, sorry). It's Ecover, so good sound stuff! Good value too. Hope that helps - guess it depends where you live, though...

Originally posted by Captain_Scarlet
You can have mine, I personally have no use for it. feel free to take it, it's at the back of the (hem) "garden" beeing of no use.
Thanks, but I don't think I'd be able to get it on the bus ;)

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JGH

Originally posted by jgharston
They should have said that each household gets one bin - as you found out. They were either lying through their teeth or incompetent. Either way they should be sacked.

I'm still waiting for some blue bins for my flats. I've walked up and down the road and everybody else appears to have blue bins, even other flats. I phoned Onyx a month ago (and the tenants phoned a year ago) and still no sign.

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JGH

Why don't you contact your local councillor? :D

I'm still waiting for some blue bins for my flats.

Originally posted by max
Why don't you contact your local councillor? :D
I have :D I raised it at Scrutiny on 7th December. Officers said there was no reason I shouldn't have any bins. About two days later I phoned Onyx and they said they'd deliver some bins. I'll let them get past the Christmas/New Year break and chase them again.
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JGH

I'm still waiting for some blue bins for my flats.

Originally posted by max
Why don't you contact your local councillor? :D
I have :D I raised it at Scrutiny on 7th December. Officers said there was no reason I shouldn't have any bins. About two days later I phoned Onyx and they said they'd deliver some bins. I'll let them get past the Christmas/New Year break and chase them again.
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JGH

Further to my original posting - I suppose I wondered if anyone could shed any light on why my second bin, when numbered, should be taken by the binmen. I seriously doubt that they did this (repeatedly) as a kind of statement about recycling.
I try to be responsible when it comes to cinsigning waste to the wheelie bin - I used to be a green activist - so it's something I think about long and hard.
The reason for my second bin was simply volume! until a year ago there were many people living here under one roof - maybe that's the ultimate in saving resources!
Come on council employees! anyone out there know if it's common practise to nick a bin if the household have more than one?
Also, how is this done? the day I saw mine fall into the back of the truck I wondered if there's some button to press on the truck ensuring the bin stays in the back!! thats terrible waste as well!!

Originally posted by mullet
Further to my original posting - I suppose I wondered if anyone could shed any light on why my second bin, when numbered, should be taken by the binmen.
Hmm. Wierd. Maybe you could try numbering your bins slightly differently. If you live at number 66, say, label one bin as '66' and the other as '66A' or '66 - Flat A'
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JGH

Sounds like straightforward theft to me.

Originally posted by mullet
Further to my original posting - I suppose I wondered if anyone could shed any light on why my second bin, when numbered, should be taken by the binmen. I think the procedure for replacing a faulty bin may be - deliver new, collect old. The schedule the bin men work to doesn't allow for five minutes hanging around inspecting the old bin. If there's a new one, the old one goes. That's systems for you. It's surprising how many of us work by them these days. We're just not expected to think any more.

And if one more person says 'company policy' or 'data protection act' to me....

Originally posted by Elyndys
Any reason why you don't use it? I'd take it off your hands if I could - I'm in a shared house, with five others, and we always have a huge pile of paper and card waiting for each emptying day...
I don't do recycling, so the bin is 1/ unwanted (I perosnally never asked for one) 2/ Not used.

My paper goes and alsways will go in the black bin along with the normal trash. 5one big in my bedroom is enough and I'm not walking downstairs to a dedicated paper bin or paper pile)

Originally posted by Captain_Scarlet
I don't do recycling, so the bin is 1/ unwanted (I perosnally never asked for one) 2/ Not used.

My paper goes and alsways will go in the black bin along with the normal trash. 5one big in my bedroom is enough and I'm not walking downstairs to a dedicated paper bin or paper pile)

That does seem a little churlish - to not even use it, even when it's provided right on your doorstep... but I'm sure nothing I can say is going to change your mind, so I'll leave it now. :)