Rubbish

[ailbhe]

This is something which would be much easier if we had a car. Or didn't mind landfill. In fact, if we weren't so bloody principled, it would be a doddle.

But.

We have been trying to Freegle plasterboard for Quite Some Time; no-one has managed to collect yet, in spite of interest, largely because I don't have the leisure to check email during office hours as often as the people who refuse to phone me as I ask think I ought to. We also want to Freegle old carpet, hardboard, and leftover timber.

If that doesn't go to Freegle, we can either smash it up and send it to landfill in the grey wheelie bin, or take it to the civic amenity site for proper sorted-waste eco-friendly treatment.

Except that that requires a car.

We don't have a car, see under eco-friendly.

Bulky waste collection is about £40 and may not collect it all. We're not sure.

Also, the trike parking problem of years ago is still unresolved, as far as I'm concerned. I spent Some Time on the phone today trying to sort it out. The council say it's a police matter, the police say they can't do anything.

Oh, and we can't go to the Civic Amenity Site on the bus, because children aren't allowed to walk around inside the site and I can't leave them outside while I take the rubbish in.

Edit: Rob posted a Freegle message and got much better responses than I did. The carpet and several tins of paint are gone, and there's a possible taker for the plasterboard and hardboard on Saturday.

Comments

[sidheag.livejournal.com]

Around here, if you leave reusable stuff around outside your place, optionally with a note sellotaped to it saying Free, Please Take!, it disappears remarkably rapidly. That's obviously very dependent on the population needs around you, but have you considered it? Maybe combined with a Freegle post saying it's there, if that's allowed?

[ailbhe]

The plasterboard can't be left outside, sadly, not if anyone wants to use it. And the timber is already outside, but not going anywhere, apparently.

[snorkel-maiden.livejournal.com]

We would be more than happy to do a dump run for you. I can do it midweek if you can babysit Leo while I'm gone, or the weekend after this one we are here and could do it then.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

Taxi to the dump? One adult could wait inside with the kids while another dumps?

[ailbhe]

Taxi won't take the stuff! similar to trying to get one while in labour.

[1ngi.livejournal.com]

These guys might have a group in the area that would come out to you for the timber. And they might know who you could contact for the plaster board. http://www.communitywoodrecycling.org.uk/index.htm

The other thing might be to contact local builders you may know of that might take it off your hands - I can't imagine them looking at freecycle pages much.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

Plasterboard can't legally be landfilled with regular waste, due to the effects of the gypsum content, so that excludes this option. I think you either need to get a lift to the civic amenity site, where it goes in a special bin, or pay for one of the waste management companies who will recycle it to collect (£30-ish a bag).

[ailbhe]

Luckily someone from Freegle is taking it, but if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known - I couldn't find the information anywhere on the Reading Gov website, nor on the site for the Civic Amenity Site which is run by someone else. Both of those just say to put anything the recycling won't accept other than rubble and soil in the landfill bin.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

We were warned about it when my mum did some work on her house. It has been illegal to put it in landfill since 2005. The council really should put something about it, if only a link to http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/32148.aspx - everyone in the trade will know, but anyone doing stuff themselves needs to be aware.

[ailbhe]

The plasterboard delivered by Wickes should have said it on it, or something, too. I bet we have already put small offcuts (less than A4) in the wheelie bin. I honestly can't remember.

[nitoda]

My local authority (Lewisham) has recently signed a new contract for waste collection and we can now *finally* start putting all kinds of stuff in for recycling that were previously going to the incinerator. Tetra-paks, plastic packaging of all kinds etc. etc. That's the good news.

Like you though, we've been car-free for a couple of years now and the one thing that is awkward is disposal of refuse that doesn't go in the bin. Our local dumpit site is about 3 miles away and not even on a bus route. Taxis won't want to take stuff to the dump - there are things the council will collect for a phone call and for a small charge, but there are things they won't and it's such bad policy to have categories of refuse that aren't collected. They must know that in a London Borough a large proportion of their residents will not have access to a motor vehicle, surely? Yet the publicity still talks as if everyone has access to one to go to wherever in the Borough they designate for waste disposal purposes. Madness, I tell you, madness.