h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Jim,

Where I live (Ayrshire) the council has just changed things so that we now have four bins - one for paper, one for glass and cans, one for garden waste and one for everything else. Instead of emptying the normal one every week (like they used to do) they empty it every two weeks. On the other weeks they collect the recycling bins or the garden waste.

Since the normal bin is only emptied every fortnight it's forced EVERYONE to recycle all their old jars and bottles and newspapers, otherwise their normal bin gets too full!

I thought every council was trying to do something like this, but maybe not. I wish they took away plastic for recycling - there's always far too much of it in the packaging of most foods.

Hello Aurora
Thanks for your response. Our council does do doorstep recycling. We have separate plastic bags for tins/plastic bottles and one for paper. Further ones for clothes and bottles which are all collected fortnightly. It seems to work quite well but is in addition to our normal weekly collection of everything remaining. The recycling lorries are quite small and involves two men (wages, pensions etc) I can't believe it is cost effective. The council sells separate plastic bags for about 60p which includes the collection and disposal of garden waste. However unless you have a postage stamp size garden it is not a lot of good.
I'm sure it is now possible to recycle plastic. I read somewhere a firm turns it into jumpers/pullovers etc. So in due course I expect we will recycle it also.
I used to live in an area in Devon where each house had two wheelie bins ; one for recycling and one for everything else. It worked quite well but on housing estates it was very unsightly as some bins were in the street/road all week.
I hope your snow is clearing. We have had it twice in Cornwall this year which is unheard of. We panicked marvellously and purchased tons of groceries. Unfortunately the snow had dissapeared by the next morning.
Tesco wouldn't refund our money though!!
Regards Jim