Forum Topic

Gobsmacked!

Yet again this morning the recyclers did not take the Textile box, so I just dropped a line to Cllr. Guy Lambert to tell him - as this is a regular occurrence - realise there are far more important things going on and thought we'd just leave it and put the box out again next week rather than report it - but had noticed people dumping bags near rubbish bins. If the recyclers don't do their part this a) makes us wonder why we bother and b) encourages people to dump. Well, lo and behold - a lorry has just arrived to take said box! To say we are gobsmacked would be understating things, so a big Thank-you to Guy for exemplary service.

Vanessa Smith ● 1968d7 Comments

Hello Guy.  Can there be some flexibility in using plastic bags for recycling and rubbish?  If the reason for the bag is to protect textiles from damp and rain and I put them out on a dry day into a dry box, could that be ok?  I had a large pile this week ( which was taken) as I can’t go to the charity shop.  A pile was squashed into my last carrier bag and the rest was balanced on top, and I put it out when dry and after dew.I would also like to judge what goes into my rubbish bin.  If it is dry and won’t smell I would like to place it in loose.  Anything wet, smelly or mouldy (which is very little because if the food recycling) I will wrap before placing in the bin.  We clean our bin so it is important to keep it so.  Have never liked the use of all these plastic sacks to wrap perfectly dry household rubbish anyway, and it costs a small fortune to buy the bags.Thanks.

Sarah Felstead ● 1967d

Indeed so.Credit where it is due.I had reason to contact Cllr Dunne a little while ago,and was impressed with the way the issue was handled and resolved by her and the department involved.It wasn't a complicated issue, but it did need persistence and application.

Keith Iddon ● 1967d

I thought I posted this earlier but it's lost in the ether.Glad you're sorted Vanessa, but it's not me providing the service - it's the crews.Apparently a) lots of people are taking the opportunity to have a good clearout and b) food waste is way up with a lot of unused stuff - the legacy of the panic buying of recent weeks (as I anticipated).This at a time when some of the crews are depleted by people self-isolating etc. In any case, it's impossible to social distance in a bin wagon so spare a thought for the crews when you're thinking about the heroes of this crisis.A reminder: textiles should be in sealed plastic bags (to make sure they're dry - if they're damp recyclers will reject the whole consignment because of mildew). So should small electrical items, and shoes should be in pairs. https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20128/household_recycling_and_waste_collections/1600/clothing_textiles_and_shoe_recycling

Guy Lambert ● 1967d

Well said Vanessa!

Sarah Felstead ● 1967d

I'm not sure I understand your somewhat aggressive comments - I was actually shocked and surprised (gobsmacked) - I thought with all that's going on it was pretty amazing service, and frankly worthy of publicly acknowledgement. I along with others can and do criticise Hounslow for various things, but if you do that then you should also be straight enough to give credit where it is due.

Vanessa Smith ● 1967d

All our rubbish and recycling taken with nothing dropped in the road!  Smashing service.

Sarah Felstead ● 1967d

Given everything that's going on in the world, were you really "Gobsmacked!" this morning or just mildly irritated?Perhaps "Mildly Irritated" wouldn't have the same click-bait appeal.

Paul Scullion ● 1967d