New estate- with communal gardens- council questions

ethansmum

I'm not quite sure where to post this so I'll start here.

We live on a newish eastate with a few 'greens' and communal gardens. Every house on the estate owns a share of the gardens (and maintence costs).

A number of houses do not have a garden of their own. We have been employing a gadener to cut the grass put weeds out etc. He has been using the house's without gardens green bins to throw away grass cuttings and weeds. However we have recieved notification from the council that this is unacceptable. Surely they pay the same council tax as the rest of us and are entitled to put grass cuttings in their bins?

Can anyone in a similar situation comment?

Many thanks

poppysarah

have they told you why?

Are they playing the "waste management licence needed" card?

Local councillors are the ones to ask.

Or straight to local paper "Stopped from recycling"

ethansmum

They are saying that the 'contractor' ie gardener should take the waste away to be weighed and paid to be disposed. The way we see it, is these flats pay full council tax and their garden is the communal garden. There are about 10 houses in total and if we didn't use their bins for garden waste they would all be empty and unused.

We see it as a way for the council doing less for more money.

Thank you for your quick reply, I'm certainly going to take it further

kazwookie

Who do you pay, for the gardener, and what does his contract say?

i.e is he ment to take any waste away, or leave on site and if so where on site, does his contract say he may leave the waste?

PasturesNew

This is the difference between taking your own TV and fridge to the local tip and chucking them for free, or phoning a man in the paper to take them away for you and he gets charged as he's a business.

When a business/contractor does something for a householder that the householder COULD have done themselves it's business rules and as a grass cutter business he has to pay for his waste to be disposed of.

It's that grey area. If YOU cut that grass and put it in your own bin, it'd be OK. But it's hired help doing it, so that changes the rules.

It's quite annoying in my opinion.

ethansmum

^^^ Exactly as you say Pasturesnew! We would have to pay him extra to both take it away and disposal costs.

So if he cut the grass and left it in a pile, then we came alog and put it in the bin, would we get away with it??

poppysarah

What I'd do is put compost bins up. Temporary structures so no PP needed. You're not bringing in waste from anywhere so it should be ok.
And you get to create your own compost!

But I would seriously go down the local paper route.

ethansmum

DH suggested Compost bins (TBH I use mine alot), I think that this would probably be the best solution- hey you never know we might even et them cheap off the council! LOL!

poppysarah

http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/
That's a useful link - I think our council did them cheap through there.

silvercar

Which of your neighbours is spying on the gardeners and reposrting them to the council?

ethansmum

Its a joke isn't it Silvercar? The thing is, they all have to pay the same maintence fees. So If the gardener doesn't use the bins- everyone will have to pay more.

Some gossip that I've just heard is that on of tyhe residents

1) Has a gardening business (has never offered to help) now wants the contract for more money.

2) said resident has been dumping his business' waste into the bins in order to get present gardener sacked.

Why on earth did we offer to help out on this management committee?? Its more trouble than its worth.

On a positive note I'm offer the use of my land to compost bins (for which i get some free compost )