-DUN COLLECTIN

I suspect this letter from the Berwickshire may raise some local hackles

"Having just read your lead story, “Binmen threaten strike action over pay cuts”, I think I may have a possible solution to their predicament.
I know binmen in the Duns and Hawick depots and possibly other depots can arrive back at their respective depots up to three hours before they are due to finish work. Instead of hanging around the depot playing cards or kicking their heels why not have them pick litter from roadside verges thus freeing up the SB Local squads to carry out other work.
Alternatively, I suspect they are overstaffed, therefore reduce the number of binmen, continue them on the pay they are currently on and we have a win win* situation for both them and Council Tax payers.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED TO EDITOR. (AND TO FISHWICK SPECIAL BRANCH")


If the writer's name gets out to the Environmental Hygenists I suspect his/her rubbish will not be moved very far. (And may even be returned with interest)

* Rather than a bin bin situation?

Labels: Duns, Environmental Hygenists

  ¶ 1:59 PM (2) comments

 
Any Old Iron? Not in this 'ere bag


The environmental hygienists, aka the bin men (no sexual stereotyping intended) have struck in Kirk Lane, Hutton. Not 'struck' as in a Grangemouth 'industrial action' i.e. industrial inaction but in the sense of suddenly and unexpectedly imposing the rules on Sandy McCitizen with regard to what they will deign to remove and convey to the dump-either hereabouts or on the outskirts of Beijing. One black bin was left unemptied and a printed notice attached drawing attention to rule 234, Stipulation 7, Condition 23 b in that the weeks non recyclable rubbish ration must be confined to a single wheelie bin (closed tightly) and there must not be any extra bags placed in or near the vicinity of the said bin. Oddly they had on this occasion taken the extra bags from the very near vicinity of the offending bin-a small gesture of reconciliation perhaps.

Given that you can recycle almost everything apart from food and what should be called undisposable nappies, it must be quite hard to fill a big bin with genuine rubbish. So someone may not have been trying too hard?

The image is of an Indian rubbish disposal system. An idea for Berwickshire farmers looking for diversification?

Labels: Environmental Hygenists, Kirk Lane, Recycling, Rubbish

  ¶ 1:59 PM (0) comments

 
Not All Rubbish, Apparently

The Environmental Hygienists aka the Bin Men are becoming more picky with regard to what they remove from the 'kerbside' on their weekly swoop on rural communities. Although you can recycle (at last) most non food things including the ubiquitous plastic bag (as long as it is not a black bin bag) the pre removal inspection has seemingly become more searching. Last week, at the bottom of Kirk Lane which services 5 houses and the village hall several bags were not removed and tossed contemptuously aside-fair enough within the letter of the law they were black bin bags and should have been inside the appropriate wheelie bin receptacle but you might have thought it would not have been too much trouble to flick them into No1 Lorry with the rest of the non recyclables. Much much worse was at Duns last Wednesday, Huttonians purple for paper and cardboard plastic sack, although clearly containing just those useful commodities was left lonely, isolated, unloved on the road side (we have no kerb) whilst every one elses offerings were carted away. What kind of message is this for newcomers and neighbours? Whoa! Nuclear Waste in brown envelopes? Not touching that.

So I had to drive it all the way back to Kirk Lane and can confidentally expect its removal at approximately 1002 hours today. And next Wednesday , outside the small-house-in-Duns I will hover, just below the horizon, guns run out, battle flag hoisted,Kismet Hardied, just to make sure that the boys in the van do their act of public service, thoroughly and without discrimination.

And save the planet.

(The image is of unbagged rubbish in an unspecified place-not thought to be Berwickshire and certainly not Kirk Lane even after a wild night at the Village Hall)

Labels: Borders, Environmental Hygenists, Recycling, Rubbish

  ¶ 9:36 AM (0) comments