Because we are enthusiastic and conscientious recyclers and, as many people in this unprecedented time are shopping more online, our green bin is usually absolutely full every fortnight - and for last Thursday’s collection the bin was full to bursting several days before, so we put out two black sacks containing recycling as well.
One was just on the top of the bin and the other on the ground next to it. We now realise that in the small print of the recycling literature black sacks are not allowed, although the reason isn’t given and, in fact, we have done this before and the sacks have been taken.
In any case, the alternatives suggested are not really suitable - bin liners tend to be flimsy and split easily and plastic carrier bags, if anyone has any spare these days, are too small.
We therefore were astounded to discover that, rather than leaving the offending black sacks behind, none of our recycling had been collected. The website stated that our collection was “contaminated” and thus could not be taken.
"Delaying the operatives"
Rother District Council (RDC) customer services, when called, told us that moving a bag from the top of the bin to the ground would “seriously delay the operatives”! Filing their report was probably far more time-consuming.
Such a draconian and inflexible approach does nothing to encourage the recycling that this planet so badly needs. We cannot possibly store another two weeks’ worth of recycling and, as mentioned in several recent articles in Rye News, public bins are usually overflowing, so - with a heavy heart - we will have to put everything in the grey bin until such time as the green bin is emptied. There are no winners from this situation.
Finally, we were disappointed to read recently that the commercial incinerators used to dispose of household waste often have to be topped up with recycling if there isn’t enough general waste available. If true, this might lead some people to question why they should bother to recycle at all.
