Bin emptying

[lethargic_man]

How often do you empty your bins? I rarely take my block of flat's dustbins out to the street because I recycle as much as I can, and put organic waste in the green bin; consequently I rarely empty my bins into the dustbin (or, to be precise, my waste paper basket into the kitchen bin, and the kitchen bin into the dustbin). However, until today I was not able to put a figure on what exactly was meant by "rarely".

I first intended see how long I went between bin emptyings early this year, but that was derailed by a premature bin-emptying forced by Pesach. Since then, however, this is the first time I've emptied my bin, so if this interval is typical, I can say I go eight weeks between bin-emptyings.

I read about a family on the BBC News website some while ago that had got their bin-emptying down to just once a year. Evidently I have some way to go.

Comments

[curious-reader.livejournal.com]

I cannot recycle as much in St Albans as in London. My bin gets full very fast. There is plastic bottles, tins, clean foil, paper, glas jars and bottles but no card board. I even had to throw my old shoes in a public bin as not even the shoe maker wanted to recycle it. I wish they would change that and include cardboard and envelopes, too.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Firstly, do you squash your bottles and tins? Secondly, there will probably be a recycling place somewhere you can take your cardboard. Thirdly, petition your council to improve your arrangements. (It worked for me: when I moved into my flat, there was no recycling there at all.)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I think about once a month. With most of the organic material going into the green bin, there's not much being binned that's decomposable (I do bin some stuff that's messily integrated with non-compostables). It's more or less just plastic wrappings and vacuum-cleaner-emptyings.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

lavendersparkle pointed out (http://lavendersparkle.livejournal.com/156282.html) a little while ago that since dust is largely shed skin, the contents of your hoover ought to be compostable too.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

yes, but I'm not going to go through it picking out the scraps of plastic and metal and whatever that get hoovered up.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Do you know what actually happens to the contents of green bins? How bad is it if it contains a small amount of non-organic waste?

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

That I don't know.

[curious-reader.livejournal.com]

I don't have a car. I asked some people from SAMS to help me then I realized everybody put his big cardboard packages downstairs and the workers from the building company take them. There is no possibility near my place. The big containers are for the same stuff as I already have downstairs. I squash whatever I can. I even bought a tin squasher as I have not much strength.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I empty mine around once a month because I don't like leaving meat scraps in the bin to fester - so I am more likely to put it out in summer.

I *fill* it on average every two or three months, I would guess, and if I could buy my vegetables loose instead of packaged, I'd have even less volume.

I have a recycling center very close by, which helps.