Tuesday 5th May 2026
I suppose there will be readers who think this is just another cliché "Frustrated from Arnside" missive, but I don't care. I can't help feeling so cross at being duped whilst dutifully performing one of my my most hated domestic chores.I have just sent this message to Westmorland and Furness Council recycling department:
At age 86 sorting my recycling is an onerous task but as a good citizen I do this properly all the time. Today I saw your collectors just put all the sorted items into one wheelie bin which was tipped into the collection wagon. That is an insult to the effort I have put into trying to do the right thing, and a deception to the public who now wrongly assume our local authority is conforming to environmental requirements.
If there is a pragmatic and justified reason for this action we should be informed about it. Communication can avert so much angst but is is so often woefully ignored.
I've often wondered about the efficiency of all this recycling we are supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteYou would think there would be a gold standard which Local Authorities should abide to.
Has there been a fly on the wall TV documentary following our trash from home to the appropiate recycling centres or the tip.
I dutifully collect all my crinkly plastic and take it to a collection point in the village, but then I read that most of it gets shipped to China. Out of sight out of mind.
Have a nice day.
I guess some councils act out the part of recycling so that they can claim money from central government to do other things with. It seems that we are being conned again. Same with building stupid cycle lanes which cost millions only to notice that cyclists still use the pavements and ignore the designated lanes.
DeleteBC and Alan R - Thanks for your comments which encourage me to believe I am not just overreacting.
ReplyDeleteNo you are not overreacting. The country is in a right mess and unfortunately I don’t see any way that it is going to improve. Hence everybody’s frustration at what we have become.
DeleteAs AlanR says, you're not overreacting Conrad. Our bins are collected on different days so that issue doesn't arise, but at our village glass recycling centre there are three bins: clear glass, a mixed green and brown and, oddly, a mixed green, brown and clear glass. Make of that what you will. I'm sure we all look forward to reading the Council's reply.
ReplyDeleteAfoot - No reply so far after two weeks.
ReplyDeleteI understand we are about to have a change with the whole system of recycling. That will include having to pay £60 a year for a garden waste bin if we want one. At the moment that is included with the other supposed itemised units of all waste. Whatever is required I have little quibble, it is a massive problem and we all have to shoulder part of its solutiom. What I object to is being sandbagged and deceived by the local authority.authority.
In general a complaint to any organisation should be a WELCOME OPPORTUNITY for them to demonstrate their integrity amd goodwill by satisfying the customer in some way rather than taking a hostile defensive protective stance, or as in this case just ignoring the complaint.