Regular Gurn reader WHEELIEMADBINLADEN told us earlier today: "I can’t believe it. I found a sticker on my full brown bin this morning. Council recycling crew refused to empty it because it has BARK in it. Is bark no longer considered recyclable ! It’s on a par with the mad cap political thinking in Europe that it makes sense to throw good fish over the side when fishing boats land catches of a species that are not meant to be in their nets. Someone’s barking and it certainly isn’t me!"
This observer visited the scene of the incident and had the opportunity to handle some of the offending material, it was very thin and easily crumbled in my hands. It would have been ideal material for a well-managed compost heap. Our upset correspondent went on to show us the sticker on the bin that tells residents that "small branches" are OK. Now as a bit of an amateur horticulturist I would recommend thin bits of bark in a heap rather than small branches - there you go though. Rules is rules?
makes me wonder as well, so what if you go up with stuff to the recycle center will they turn you away? as i was up the other week putting branches in from trees i was cutting back and nothing was said about it, also put stuff in from the plot, i thought we were meant to recycle as much as we can?
ReplyDeletethe council seem to be a law unto themselves,just take compost to council offices and dump the bark/crap there,after all the offices are paid for by you and us,,the concil tax payer
ReplyDeleteSame with me last week, roots from a bush, not the root ball, in the bin and I got the dreaded sticker and a full bin left. Phone calls and a visit to the service point sorted it out as they couldn't believe that garden rubbish was refused (pardon the pun). Why can't we put veg and fruit leftovers in aswell????? The recyclebinladen is among us watch out.
ReplyDeleteThe following appears on the Highland Council website.
ReplyDeleteGarden Waste
We need your help to improve the quality of our garden waste.
The garden waste collected by the Council is turned into compost and is mainly used by local farmers as a soil conditioner; some is also used for landfill restoration. All compostable material collected by local authorities must meet a quality standard, PAS 100 which ensures the compost is suitable for its intended use. Recent changes to the PAS 100 standard mean that testing for items such as stones and plastic have become more stringent.
Householders are reminded that the brown bin collections (and garden waste skips at Recycling Centres) are intended solely for GARDEN waste.
Yes Please
• Grass cuttings
• Hedge trimmings
• Twigs and small branches
• Flowers & plants
• Weeds (excluding notifiable weeds such as Japanese knotweed and ragwort)
No Thanks
If your bin is contaminated with the items listed below, will result in the bin being left unemptied. A sticker with instructions will be left on the bin.
• Soil*
• Stones
• Turf and rubble*
• All types of plastic - including polystyrene
• Kitchen waste – cooked or raw including fruit & vegetables
• Animal waste material
No mention of bark in Yes or No. Is this all down to someone's interpretation? Maybe a need for guidance from above?
The full information can be found here, http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/wastemanagement/recycling/gardenwaste.htm
just as well they didnae look in mine when they emptied it,as it was full of grass cuttings and a few old bricks thown in and covered up hahaha,no bin laden spies in my area,if there are they are blind ones
ReplyDeleteRules is rules. I'm happy to stick by them if it means getting my bin emptied and not having to run stuff out the Grantown Rd to the recycling centre
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know just about anything can go in the green bin including bark
In Moray we are encouraged to put kitchen waste cooked or uncooked in the brown bin!
ReplyDelete