bandrui

How on earth can people have so much garbage? That is something that will have to change. Here, we drive our recyclables (plastic, cardboard, paper, tins, glass, batteries, small appliances, techno stuff, rubber tires) to our self-supporting recycling centre. I go down there about once every 2 weeks. As far as garbage is concerned, we have no garbage pick-up. I have about a garbage bag full every 3 months or so and take it down to the garbage centre, again a self-supporting private business.

Now I know this is an issue for those who use public transportation but maybe it could be arranged as: if you want garbage pickup, pay for it. There is way too much being thrown away that could be recycled.

I was horrified, when visiting my daughter in North Carolina one Christmas, to see huge wheelie bins overflowing with paper and cardboard. Surely we have come further than this in our caring for the planet.

old.sparkles

A lot does go for recycling in the UK - and business's are required by law to sort waste for recycling. The additional wheelie bins are to have waste sorted at each house, making the whole recycling process cheaper and more efficient. Some London boroughs already have 4 or 5 bins but the majority is for some form of recycling.

jasper123

Oh and lets not forget the daftest rule ever relating to this subject of electricity, the most ridicules EU imposed rule dating back I think 30 years or more since they took over, ------- why do the EU think that it is unsafe to allow an electric switch inside the bathroom so we can turn on the light, let alone an electric socket to plug things into, ----- NO freaking light switch thats it!!! so we are all forced to have an absolutely silly long cord hanging down from the ceiling, so as you go into the bathroom you have to pull this funny looking cord to turn on the light, now whats that all about?
You know I often think with all these daft things that the EU have done to us, so many silly things, and now five wheelie bins per household ----- all different colors, it looks like to me that they are taking the micky

islandwoman120

I too have been horrified at the state of the garbage on the streets and the ugly wheelie bins. I have had the misfortune to help out with recycling needs where I live and find that some people are just plain lazy and dump all their co-mingled garbage in one bag whcih is then thrown into the nearest bin, of which there are 7 for recycling and 8 for regular garbage. By my reckoning, if you recycle everything possible, then only packaging material should be in the landfill bins. So what is in the landfill bins? Plastic bags, cardboard boxes, polystyrene containers, electrical items, batteries, yoghurt pots, plastic plant pots, clothing, shoes - you name it. Some people are great recyclers, some are not. It is an endless problem.

Derrygal

I don't think that has anything to do with the EU Rodney. I seem to remember there were no electrical outlets/sockets in UK bathrooms and the light switch was usually outside the bathroom (or else inside on a pull cord) long before the UK went into the European Community. Maybe I am wrong about this - no doubt someone will come along to either verify or correct me..........................

Sue

That sounds about right. I've recently moved from Charlotte NC and we only got recyclable wheelie bins about two years ago. Mind you everything goes in them: paper, glass, plastic. I thought NC was behind the times until I moved to Florida. Here we get a little plastic crate which you can hardly fit anything in. Anything that doesn't fit into the crate they won't take and we have to put in the normal trash

black swan

That is correct Derrygal there has never been electrical sockets in bathrooms in the UK. It has nothing to do with the EU.
We are not allowed them in Australia & it's something I had to get used to when I came for a visit.

black swan

I got that wrong. I meant to say that we have always had electrical sockets in the bathroom here in Australia. But they were never in bathrooms in the UK.

Celticspirit

I spent a week in Adelaide and blew the bathroom socket even with a converter with my hair dryer. They told me it was a common issue for overseas visitors. Loaned me an Australian hair dryer after electrician fixed the fuse.
A week later in Sydney in a much more sophisticated hotel.....my converter worked fine.

trottytrue

Here in NH you can request extra crates for plastic and glass. You can put the paper in with it but cardboard has to be cut and tied. My daughter lives in the next town over and they are very strict you cannot overload your wheelie bin if the lid is up they wont take it. Plastic and glass have to be washed and the bins have to be out at 6 in the morning by the road. We have to put ours by the side of the road but ours comes much later. Some towns now supply plastic see through bags so they can see what you are throwing away. If you have grass and garden trash you have to take it to the dump. Its quite expensive to have your trash picked up.

old.sparkles

Australian wiring rules do allow sockets in bathrooms, and its something that I find very strange. But then I'm an electrician, and I know the dangers of electric shock and I never use electric equipment in the bathroom.

Celticspirit

I assure you the hotel in which we stayed had sockets in the bathroom....older hotel.

old.sparkles

I agreed that sockets are allowed. I just choose not to use electrical equipment in bathrooms.

Celticspirit

Wish we had known that in advance......I was terrified the hotel might go on fire.
Loved Adelaide and the friendly people. One of the best dog shows I have ever judged.

Fish n Chips 56

Thats awful, how can Florida think thats OK.

Here in Oregon we recycle just about everything, the latest thing is a test to recycle food waste, its collected in a small container located in the kitchen, I feel that may be going overboard, and still I see familes on my street that fill that large wheelie bins past capacity and never recycle, Huhhhh

Back in Wyoming over 25 yrs ago we had recycle banks where we could drop off items to recycle, thats a state that is viewed by many as behind the times ... Huhhhh