I was delighted in November when wheeled bins arrived at the Biggles terraced property and that the 'Heebies' planted last year in expectation of this event would screen them, as was the intention. I was sent a lovely pack of information from TDC with the title "LIFTING THE LID on your new service."Not only has it made me feel better about doing my bit with my Council to 'save the Planet' but I am anticipating un-disturbed sleep in the spring and summer of 2009, as my neighbours bags will be safely sealed in the black lidded bin rather than providing breakfast for 'rats with wings' as dawn breaks at 3.30 to 4 am.
Having read my instructions for the Christmas and New Year, I am now a little concerned that our 'Recycling Queen', Cllr Shirley Tomlinson is wearing a tarnished crown. Having carefully sorted the correct items into my 'Blue bin' for the past 2 weeks I have been told that I have another two weeks of this careful recycling before it will be emptied on the 2nd January.
There is however a disconcerting piece of information for a 'Born Again Recycler' that Bertie has become: I have to put both BLUE and BLACK out on the 2nd and "Both ... will be treated as HOUSEHOLD WASTE."
So much for TDC's recycling credentials then.! Then an awful suspicion struck me ......
All over Thanet, dutiful citizens have been and are busy sorting out their recycled rubbish and yet could it be possible that its all a big con? In other words, is it all going to the same location as the Household rubbish dump and isn't being recycled at all? I would be grateful if anyone could , to quote TDC, " Lift the lid" on this.
14 comments:
If you want to recycle plastic apart from bottles, forget the blue wheelie bin as KCC who are responsible for recycling refuse any other plastic as 'it's not worth our while recycling'. Apparently the nearest recycling centre for general plastic is too far from Kent to make it viable to transport those yoghurt pots or marge tubs at a profit.
If you pop those in your blue bin along with other items labelled 'recyclable' they get dumped into landfill sites anyway.
Interesting that a local firm, MPL Waste Management,(sited behing Hornby Hobbies) can make a living recycling everything bar old clothes, polystyrene and garden waste. I have been shown the polo shirts worn by their staff make from recycled plastic. I regularly take bin bags full of plastic wrappings, cat food pouches etc. there with the result my black bin is frequently empty.
Does TDC/KCC recycle? I doubt it very much. How often do you take stuff to the tip that could be re-cycled to be told to 'chuck in the non-recyclables'?
This really is apalling to think it took Thanet over 15 years longer than other district councils to get their act in order only to find they still are not recycling. We pay a lot more than some areas for our Councill tax and as far as I can see we do not even get the same good service as say Hampshire. I can remember when everyone had their rubbish collected from their back gardens, we did not have all this problem with taking everything to the front of the house. Does anyone remember how clean the streets were then? How many of you can remember 15 years ago when we had proper service every where we went? Who also can remember when people got punished for their crimes? Who can remember when children respected their elders and the Police, people didn't live in fear of being approached by more than 3 youngsters. we didn't have the smell of take- a- way food under your nose in every small town, we didn't have to put up with empty cartons and cans all over our streets. Thanet is the worst place for filth in the whole of Kent, what does that say about our people and the Council. We need more enforcements for the rubbish and high fines to the people who do not care what filth they throw on the ground for others. I am disgusted with the animals that are causing these problems but more so for this Council who do nothing to combat the problem.
If Cllr Shirley Tomlinson put as much effort into finding the culprits of the litter louts and giving them a befitting punishment, instead she is clearing the mess up herself, how will these eliterate individuals ever learn to improve themselves if it is all done for them.
This B****y Council has no idea how to keep this Island clean, we never had this refuse problem 10 years ago, it is about time all these Councillors are removed and a more attentive councillors voted in who will act for the people, this lot certainly doesn't.
Get rid of them all and start again, we pay their wages, we deserve a better service and we deserve it.
Dear 21.39,
I regret to say that I have rejected a comment you probably intended to have added to a posting I made in September. (my set up does not show which post a comment is made to!). If you refer to my original posting, you will see that I stated that no comments would be taken regarding that particular posting. I have not changed my position in regard to that decision, so please accept my apologies for not putting up your comment.
Bertie and fellow Thanetians, if you want to "lift the lid" on this, or other problems, use your rights under the Freedom of Information Act and put a few pertinent questions to our employees (TDC that is). I've found the act to be very useful and our staff helpful.
One request to potential questioners - please remember that our TDC staff work under the direction of the ruling group of elected councillors. Be courteous to the staff and save your anger for the politicians.
TDC has a three-tier strategy for street-cleaning but refuses to say who gets what. It is colour-coded so that some streets get regular sweeping, some get occasional sweeping and the rest, well, they can do it themselves as their streets never get cleaned.
Surprise, surprise, Cllr. Tomlinson refuses to say which streets come into which category.
By my observation, most of Thanet comes into the last category although I know there are men with brooms but not enough and they seem to concentrate on small areas of the town centres as, presumably, instructed to do.
Some of the TDC staff should take that advice too.
I remember, growing up, when the bin men were not so lazy as to need the bins dragged one and a half meters for them but came up the path and got it (and put it back) and over the holidays extra collections were laid on.
It seems like the current arrangements (aside from being more expensive in real terms) are also less user friendly, less convenient and so far less value for money.
All it seems to have done is create an opening so that companies can make money offering additional collections taking us back to a time when the rich were far better looked after in such matters than the working man.
It is worse than this. The current admiistration was elected on the slogan Vote Blue Go Green. As a member of Scrutiny Committee I have been requesting an addressing of Green issues since I was elected in 2007. This keeps "slipping down" the work programme of the current cabinet and is not addressed. I interpret this as there being no sincere desire to implement the main campaign slogan which lead to their election which disappoints local electors. There are a few back bench Conservatives who "get" Green issues but they are a very small minority. I am a member of the Scrutiny Committee's Recycling Working Party and would would welcome information and emails to
cllr-mark.nottingham@thanet.gov.uk
My personal manifesto would include amongst other things - free green waste collection, collection of plastics, no recyclable waste being sent to dumps, no taxes (like green waste levies)which simply dump the problem off Thanet's bills but back on to all tax payers bills because Kent County Council picks up the bill instead for our local dumps (recycling centre is a bit of an overstatement), better cycling facilities, more 20mph driving zones, all planning permission for extensions to require installation of solar panels, eco-tourism rather than air-shows....any more wish lists?
Regards
Cllr Mark Nottingham
Northwood Ward
"instead she is clearing the mess up herself, how will these eliterate individuals ever learn to improve themselves if it is all done for them."
sorry anonymous number 3... but shouldn't that be illiterate?
I live in Westbrook and both my bins were emptied on Thursday into the landfill dustbin lorry, what a waste of time sorting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Answer Bertie No!
We have a new Fish and Chip shop in Westgate that istead of having blue rubbish containers like every other shop or business, just dumps their black bags full of waste chips, fish and batter into the Newspaper recycling bins nearby. Last week they filled one completely and it stank!
The shop owner had it pointed out to him but his reply is unrepeatable!
TDC who have responsibility for these bins were informed via Amenities and Environmental Health.
Result, at the end of the week a general Rubbish van emptied the bins. And this weekend they started filling them up again!
Most businesses pay a lot to have these bins and have a certificate of proper disposal of their waste. This clown ruins the area by filling all the bins with food waste, and gets away with it with the Council doing nothing!
Cats are happy though; and the Rats!
Drop a cigarette end even by accident and get fined £60 so how come the fish and chip shop owner can get away with contaminating the recycling bins this way? Why isn't the council taking action if they have been informed? There is a major health hazard with all the food waste being dumped like this. All the other shop-keepers have to pay a considerable amount for refuse collection and I know these costs have risen recently.
Perhaps you should contact your local councillors to get some action here.
More paper is sorted and collected by residents and dilegently placed into the correct bins.........
WHAT DO OUR CONSERVATIVE CONTROLLED(WE ARE GREENER THAN YOU WE HAVE A TREE IN OUR NEW LOGO TO PROVE IT)COUNCIL DO THEY WILL DUMP ALL OUR
XMAS WRAPPINGS ETC INTO THE LANDFILL SITE!
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