Forum Topic

Crackdown on Untidy Residents

I see on the front page an article on this noting the Council intends to get stricter ."Rubbish should be in black sacks at the edge of the property - but not on the public highway - on the morning of collection or, if impractical, as late as possible the night before."With the Hounslow website clarifying :"All refuse for collection should be left at the edge of your property from 6.30am on your collection day. The only exception to this is if you are registered on our Elderly and Disabled listing."Am I alone in thinking it unreasonable to have to set my alarm clock at 6.25 to put my black bag in position for 6.30 on a winter morning ?Do refuse teams get shift working premiums for an early start ? Do they need to ?

Tim Henderson ● 6947d10 Comments

Frank,I put any edible meat scraps /bones in a plastic bowl in my garden so the fox,who comes around to investigate every night to see if there are any scraps in the rubbish,can eat them without ripping the rubbish open.If he doesn't smell anything edible in the rubbish,he doesn't waste his time ripping it open.

Keith Iddon ● 6929d

... bags left out on the pavement again today ... :-(

Sarah Felstead ● 6929d

I am thrilled with the idea that black sacks are to be placed on the householders land at the edge of a property.  Most of the spillages I see are where the sacks have been dumped (well, left, anyway) on the street.  If they split the owners seem to ignore the mess - possibly as they consider it to be the 'Councils responsibility to clear up'.Some of the rubbish is distributed on the pavement and road because one of the workers walks ahead of the lorry, moving the sacks into a central pile - will this stop too?Will 'placing the bags on the owners property where it is possible' be enforced - or will it just be left hanging in the air as one of 'bright sparks' ideas, which only 'works' though somebody 'hoping' it will?  ...  ;-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6944d

Fair points.I'm disgusted that some of those who live around me make absolutely no effort to recycle at all. I've seen bags and bags of newspapers and plastic just being turfed out on a daily basis.I actually wish our council moved to fine people who don't recycle.Another thing, it would be nice if our council actually put more effort into removing recycable materials from collection points.  The collection point at Somerfield is a vile mess and people have just lobed bags of plastic on top of the plastics bin.

Conal Stewart ● 6944d

Of course there will be ideal solutions to different types of residences. Nothing could be easier than this refuse collection arrangement that I have had for many many years. Sharing a communal alleyway..two dustbins are put at the pavements edge the night before. Dustmen take out the black bags..and leave the bins unlidded to indicate that the job has been done. None of this dumping black bags at the roadside for overnight temptations from roving foxes.

Jim Lawes ● 6945d

n/m

Jim Lawes ● 6945d

The only problem with putting the rubbish out late at night is that the foxes will take great delight in spreading your garbage all over the road and, incidentally encouraging the rats with which we have been plagued recently. If the refuse operatives worked 9-5 (actually collecting from 10am to 4pm), they would avoid some of the problems caused by dustcarts blocking the roads during rush hours. Why the early start? Is there a rational reason, or is it just custom and practice?

Frank Sykes ● 6946d

The answer is probably a NO - but you could put your bin at the front of your property with the bin liner in it and see if the dustmen would lift it out and then seal it. You didn't read my response properly - You said that the information was that it was acceptable for people to put their refuse out late the night before collection,is that impractical too? - so why are you hung up on getting up early to do it?

Vanessa Smith ● 6946d

I don't follow ActonW3, so I didn't know about the correspondence there.I still have my "historic black plastic dustbin" and occasionally it holds black plastic sacks during the week. I had thought that it was not acceptable to lug this out and leave it at the edge of my property - and so I only deposit my  unprotected plastic sacks for collection.I see no one else putting dustbins out in my street.Can anyone else confirm that this is acceptable to the Refuse Departments of the Council and the refuse collectors ?Regarding Vanessa, I would argue that it isn't impractical for me to put out my sack at 6.30 (I could get a loud alarm clock), it is just highly inconvenient. Any lawyers out there ?

Tim Henderson ● 6947d

TimThanks for launching this new TOPIC which you may know has been very extensively discussed on other local Forums..especially Acton W3 where there seems to be big problems with people dumping black bags and mattresses in all kinds of places..at all times of the week!There must have been over 500 postings about rubbish matters on the Acton Forum..and W3 posters are pulling their hair out almost..trying to get their town cleaned up.Many years ago, I recall, every local household was given a large heavy duty plastic dustbin for dealing with domestic waste.  Into these dustbins householders placed their black bin liners (or black bags) ..and because the black sacks were hidden from view (and no subject to attack from foxes) it was ok to leave this dustbin in our alleyways overnight.A change of work practice, I recall , forbad dustmen going down side alleys..the dustbins had then to be left on the pavement's edge for collection.  This we still do...and we have no problems..only because using the "historic  black plastic dustbin system" works!But you make a good point about having to put black bags out at dawn!  This matter will need to be thoroughly administered..maybe with the Refuse Collection leaders on each dustcart will have to take notes and report back and to liaise with householders.  Most dustcarts seem to return to the Bridge Road Depot by 1pm - 2pm each day..and thereafter they remain unused for the rest of the day night..that seems a waste!! Especially as they have less work to do these days.ECT collect the recycling waste from homes..and we ourselves take recycling items =like plastic= to Tesco's skips etc.Dealing with "Untidy Residents"..and getting black sacks put out by 6.30am could be a full time job for someone to organise!  Don't ask about the recycling headache... and especially about plastic material! A big subject indeed...and lots of different instructions.

Jim Lawes ● 6947d

The simple answer is - you don't it says "if impractical as late as possible the night before". There are so many areas where people will insist not only on putting their sacks out early but they congregate them round one particular tree, or pile them up in a heap. Is it really asking too much of us to take a little care?

Vanessa Smith ● 6947d