How many bags of rubbish do you put out? (MERGED)

newlywed

Right have done my first of my planned weekly trips to the tip. That's 4 glass jars recycled - that's not how many I've used in 2 days but they have been cluttering up under the sink (in case we need them :rolleyes:)

OH think's I'm mad to create "more work" by planning to visit the tip once a week but I drive right past the entrance! Plus I hate emptying the bins, he doesn't want to do it either so if we reduce the waste, we reduce the arguments

I reckon we use about 40+ tins a month (mostly tuna and kidney beans) :eek: let alone some jars too! Once I've got those sussed, I'll start work on the rest of the rubbish.

ndbruton

Unfortunately, my LA (Dudley MBC) will only take paper, glass and tin at the moment. I take my cardboard to the tip and compost the food waste that I can, meaning that my rubbish is mainly made up of plastic and food scraps I can't compost. I'm filling the equivalent of around half/three quarters of the black bag the LA provide a week which I'm putting out because of the nasty niffs you are liely to encounter this time of year! I am going see if I can reduce it down to one bag every other week during the wintertime (btw that's only for two of us).

A_fiend_for_life

newlywed wrote: »

I know you are meant to wash the cans/jars - but am I meant to take the label off too???

Goodness I sound dumb!!!!

You don't need to take the labels off but if they come off easily I put them in with the local newspaper I get posted and the paper. You could also soak them after doing the washing up.

With rinsing I generally rinse them and pour them in a pot that I need to add water.

For tins I could do with one of those plastic lids that you used to get for tins of cat and dog food. At the moment I am just splashing watery tomato sauce all over the place.

If you do rinse stuff though it is more effective using 2 or 3 smaller volumes of water rather than one big measure as it actually dissolves more. I remember this from chemistry


Your council sounds disgraceful though.

Sailor_Sam

Live on my own and re-cycle everything i can. Glass, paper, cardboard etc etc. Things that can't go into the 'green' bins, such as yoghurt pots, go to the local nursery school, plastic bags go to one of the local small shops, so they get at least one more life. I have 2 compost bins. I even keep old batteries and postage stamps, untill the chance comes to dispose of them in a green way.
Leaves me with one carrier bag of rubbish a week.

newlywed

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

For tins I could do with one of those plastic lids that you used to get for tins of cat and dog food. At the moment I am just splashing watery tomato sauce all over the place.

Ah ha! I have one of those - never thought of that - thanks!

The city council has recycling collections if you live in a house. But not if you live in a flat :rolleyes: Although ours isn't high rise (only 3 floors) it still counts as a flat and so they don't collect as it isn't "roadside" - the binstore on the ground floor is too far to walk I suppose :rolleyes:

They are putting in large communal bins for recycling which take up parking spaces in the road in some areas - the flat owners are expected to take rubbish out there (even if elderly or disabled) - but our area isn't on the list yet

A_fiend_for_life

newlywed wrote: »

Ah ha! I have one of those - never thought of that - thanks!

Where do you get them from? I'm not into polka dots.

Kimitatsu

Family of 2 children and 2 adults, we throw out two - three bin liners (not the black sacks but the ones you put in the houshold bin - about 35 litres I think) a week. Our council though is very good, we have a collection for glass, cardboard, paper, tins and you can have a garden waste collection for an extra fee. Our recycling collection is every other week so they have provided us with a second recycling bin as we fill one wheelie bin a week with recycling. We compost too, but all of our waste is packaging, or cat litter in the winter :eek:

newlywed

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

Where do you get them from? I'm not into polka dots.

The kitchen drawer - sorry OH already had them when I moved in a couple of years ago - think mum and dad once had some from bettaware or kleeneze or whatever those doorstep catalogues are

Well it's now Friday and it's almost unheard of to have not had to empty all the bins (usually wednesday they are bursting). So feeling quite positive that may be able to cut rubbish down to one bag a week if I try really hard

newcastlebelle

dont put my cans out anymore...........take them to work [ a bar] where all cans are saved, bagged and collected once a month by a local charity for recycling [ they get 1p per can]........why should the council make all the money!

mama67

For Batteries, I have some envelopes you can ask instore for from Sainsbugs.
It is a freepost address and you put spent batteries into this and then Sainsbugs recycle the batteries.
Some councils now have collection points at their "recycling centres" as well.

Our council provides 3 wheelie bins -
black (140l) for general household waste,
grey (180l) for recyclables and
green (180l) for compostable and garden waste.

Items which can go into the grey bin are :-
Plastics type 1 & 2
paper, cardboard, cans, tins, foil dishes

Even in the winter when we have the "clinker" from the coal fire our black bin is only ever half full unless we have been having a clear out and it has broken stuff which can't be recycled/donated etc.
Any plastic packaging I get I try to roll/fold up and then tie into a knot this stops it puffing up with air and takes up less room (tip learnt through camping with the guides/scouts).
I don't usually take plastic carrier bags and haven't done in over 2 years, unless I know I need odd ones for holding the clinker.

The black and grey bins are collected one week and the green bin the alternate week.

We also put certain amounts of compostable into our compost heap but don't have a big garden so don't need loads.