This is not a rant but a word of praise.

I know this was a hot topic on here some months ago but cannot find the thread to raise it again.

Just wondered how is everyone finding the Veolia rubbish / recycling contract now that they have found their feet?

I have to say that, apart from a few teething problems at the start, I have no complaints whatsoever about their service.
They come regularly at the same time on the correct day and my bins / bags are fully emptied and left tidy for me to bring in.

I would honestly say they are an improvement over Biffa who were untidy and not very punctual.

That's my experience anyway.

Anyone else feel the same or disagree with their experience?

I know this isn't really Veolia's fault, but the design of their recycling lorries mean that half the waste put out ends up blowing around the roads.

Why is that not Veolia's fault? Surely they are responsible for procuring the vehicles and have a duty to ensure that they are fit for purpose?

I haven't experienced that myself - everything seems to go in the lorry - but then maybe I live in a less windy spot!!

I've often wondered how much of it is really recycled?

I don't really do much recycling so won't comment on that, but I do think the street cleaning has been excellent, I see a marked improvement every Saturday and Sunday morning.

I do a lot of recycling... all in one bin

Only complaint I have about them is seeing one of their drivers at the wheel of a small lorry, a 2 tonner or similar and used for collecting fridges etc., yacking away on his mobile while driving along Queens Road and approaching the A339 roundabout, only half in control of his wagon, as it were. Thought that incredibly anti-social and complained to WBC. Would you willingly give businesss to contractors who employed plonkers like that?

Those of you who don't, or can't be bothered, to recycle, I shall be watching out for any comments in any environmental threads that come up. Really? "All in one bin"? And I got the impression from other posts that you were quite a responsible person. The mind boggles.

Not only that, but illegal as well.

Actually.... it goes all in one bin because they never gave me the extra bins to put them in. I've been in touch with the council twice, but nothing.


Actually I do have a green wheelie bin which a put my grass cutting in; sorry I didn't mention that.

Ok, I withdraw my comment - but you did leave yourself wide open

True; but look on the bright-side. Without me suggesting that I willingly had committed a crime against the environment you wouldn't have spent a joyous 30 seconds rubbing my nose into - what you considered - anti-social behaviour

PS You don't have to thank me, I'll just accept a card at Christmas and an invitation to dinner to meet the family: lol:

If there ever is an environmental thread, rest assured I will be there. I don't believe recycling or not makes a difference to anything other than the council coffers, Veolia, and a shed load of people who have so little talent they would be unemployed if they didn't create nonsense thoeries to scare everyone. But my point on this thread will just be that I live in a flat, so unless I run down 3 flights of stairs and across a car park and then back again every time I chuck something away, or store a load of unhygienic smelly waste in my kitchen, it's not really an option.

You'll find if you wash your bottles & cans, they don't smell.

I'm guessing you do have a waste bin of sorts in your flat?

This looks nice doesn't it - http://www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/teachandlearn...ry/opencast.jpg

I wash most things before I put them in the bin, and you're right they don't smell, I do it to keep my kitchen bin stink free. I put them in the bin otherwise they would just be cluttering up my already limited space. I have a waste bin and that's it, so that's what I use. Nobody has been able to give me a good reason to recycle, and most of the stuff the council take isn't recycled anyway so unless I take it to the tip myself it 's not making a difference. If I do take it it will be in my car which will balance out any good that I have done anyway. Recycling is for profit, and most of it get's shipped overseas. I think that Veolia are doing a good job of duping everyone, and keeping the streets clean.

I was holidaying in France this year and noticed that they specifically ask that bottles/cans etc are not washed. They don't want tap water wasted in this way.

Exactly; I am very environmentally friendly and save water wherever I can. Apart from that I am on a water meter - which I went on for the first time this year.

I have just been to the waste centre and found the idiot who was sweeping up unhelpful, rude and obnoxious. I am surprised because I find their binmen and street collectors normally pretty chirpy. All the spaces sere occupied so I made sure I was pulled well over (they watched me do this) and jumped out to put my one item in the skip. The guy shouted over that I couldn't do that as I was parked on the road, to which I replied that I was anyway and this way I would be away and out of there in seconds, he then turned to his colleague and started to loudly slag me off. I just think the whole situation could have been handled better. I know they have a job to do and that somebody in recent times had died etc etc, but there are no yellow lines, no signage and as far as I could tell no difference to me being in or out of the car.

elf n' safety mate.
More than me job's worth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyOX4G7TmE0

The new ' Lords of the Universe' Binmen, Oh how the wheel has turned.

You are right - they are rude. There is a sign that says they will be happy to help you unload ......... but I have yet to receive any help. Has anyone else ?

Also if you ask them where stuff should go, they then go and check that you have done it properly !!

To be fair yes I have, on several occasions.
Having said that, in general, they are not particularly "customer friendly".

Isn't it annoying to find that the rules apply to you as well? Or maybe you feel that they shouldn't? Or maybe they're time dependant? Does it depend on how self-important you areand how little time you have?

Given someone died there not too long ago, I'd say they're well within their rights to insist people stick to the rules regarding safety.

Yes, but there's no need to be rude.
The fatality was at the old site by the way.

Not at all and that's not my complaint. In fact I needn't have mentioned what I was doing but did so in the interests of balance.

Just to confuse matters, I have always found the staff there friendly and helpful. Perhaps it's a two-way thing.

Although I think the dump is poorly laid out, I have found the staff to be courteous.

It could be one grumpy person that some have encountered, could be one guy having a bad day could be any number of things I guess, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt next time.

I think it's well laid out, but the staff (I have encountered) are rude ... just goes to show you can't please all of the people all of the time.

I think it is poorly laid out because if it is busy and you have say a TV to dump, you jump the cue, then have difficulty in getting back out to continue to the general refuse. I think the 'electrical' door should be at the beginning and not the end of the shed. You also cannot easily see which bays are empty when you queue for them.

For a (largish) fee, I will collect and take your rubbish during the week, when it's not busy

I'll queue thanks!

I live in an apartment block that has a number of large industrial wheelie bins in a seperate building arranged in a "U" shape around the entrance. One of our bin men's favourite pastimes is to remove the bins for emptying and then just dump them all back in right by the door and not put them back as they were, meaning the only bin you can get to to put stuff in is the one directly in front of the door.

Once this gets filled people then put their bags on the floor around this one bin, as they can't get to the others. Veolia then come round on bin day and refuse to take the rubbish that's not in the bins, even though they created the issue by just dumping the bins back in the first place.

I gave up recycling last year. It all goes in the grey bin, and life's much simpler...if we all did that it would be much cheaper to collect.

Slightly off topic, but might amuse some.
The company mentioned has a London based outfit too and offices in a redundant church.
The Victorians painted the scene of St Pancras with the church at the top of the hill.

Joseph Grimaldi. A revered clown from days gone by is memorialised there.
Perhaps they should have a work room filled with posters. Such as "Smile. It is later than you think"
ce

For a change.

Don't be horrid... I try.
ce

I don't know what the precise arrangements are, but is it not possible for the residents to wheel them back to their proper places? Seems a bit odd that it's only the bin men that can move them.

That is an option, of course. But these are heavy bins - usually moved by two bin men at a time - and would require all of the bins to be removed first and then put back in correctly one at a time. If Veolia put them back as they found them then there woudn't be an issue. It doesn't happen all the time. Indeed, most often they are put back correctly. So I can't see the point in just dumping them to leave for others to sort out. If these were single household wheelie bins then I wouldn't have a problem with them being left out for residents to take back to their own properties, but that isn't the case here. These are industrial sized bins, housed in a seperate building.

If there is a real and recurring problem with the bin men not putting the large industrial size bins back where they found them and they are contractually obilged to do so then write to the council and tell them.

We have called the council in the past about the issue and that the rubbish Veolia refuse to take causes a health hazard, but all that happens is that the council send one of their own people out to clear it up and put it all back as it should be. I guess it's either the path of least resistance for them or, albeit somewhat bizzare, Veolia are not obliged to put the bins back as they found them.

Yes, it does sound strange especially in that the "health hazard" is confined to Veolia staff and not council staff. Sounds like someone needs to get a grip.

I've had cause to get in contact about bins before, I find they respond quickly to email customerservices@westberks.gov.uk or west.berkshire@veolia.co.uk if there is a burning issue and they don't read this forum!

Or just give Streetcare a ring - they are very helpful and on the ball. When my grey wheelie bin was stolen in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago (yes, really! - and not by some drunk), they arranged for a new one which was delivered a couple of days later.