Vegan Organic Wholefood
Order: Mon 3rd June
Arrives: Mon 10th June
I have just emailed the Council about anomalies in recycling as follows;
Hi
I have spoken to two staff at Cornwall CC: the first couldn't put me through to waste management so I had to search on line for a number, to find them, who were only to happy to listen.
I have also spoken to Biffa who were unhelpful, unlike the previous contractors Cory Environment.
A background to the complaint/query is that I live off the beaten track and never received the coloured bags and box all those years ago when the scheme started. In fact I didn't really want them as I have so little waste and recycling that it seemed a waste of resources to have them, and anyway they would go missing etc.
The idea was that recycling was acceptable if the items were separated and clear. I.e. glass bottles or plastic could be left in separate plastic bags. There were/are boxes for bottles and bags for plastic etc.
This all worked ok until the last few months or more.
Now your original staff on 0300 1234100 said things will only be collected in the 'official' bags and didn't know of the flimsy, translucent orange bags that are thrown on the roadside.
So what is going on? Clearly orange bags are left out with no reference to them on your website
yet here are a couple of images that show the bags thrown on the ground. Often the wind catches them or they get run over and are a mess. Hey but who care about the environmental waste and hazard, clearly not the collectors. Oh! yes the pictures
So you can see the bags that are thrown out and in the above image you can see a nice tidy pack of cardboard which fits your specs on the previously linked page, yet was not collected. I'm also going to copy the email to a friend who also informed me of cardboard not being collected
"Cardboard - Brown, white and grey cardboard, brown paper, coloured paper, wrapping paper (not shiny) and greetings cards. Please remove all staples, sticky tape and plastic bags.
. . . . . .
if you have extra cardboard, please flat pack it, tie it up with string and put it out beside your recycling."
Then of course there's the bottles. From the act of throwing out plastic bags it seems Biffa don't mind what goes in them, bottle, plastic or card as long as they are separate bags for each, but why not pick up bottles in carrier bags or boxes. Boxes are especially mentioned on your website.Recycling box
Mixed glass recycling logo Mixed textiles recycling logoGlass bottles and jars – No broken glass, please. If you have broken glass, put it in a rigid plastic box like an ice cream container, mark it clearly as 'broken glass' and put it out with your household rubbish.
Why were the above not collected? Is it the wrong size or wrong colour box as suggested by one of the Council's staff?
And what about those in carrier bags?
So what's the problem here? Wrong size bag or wrong colour?
There was this notion that the collectors couldn't fathom what to do with the bags, like leave them behind with the orange ones they throw on the ground for reuse. Bung them in the truck with the others.
It all beggars belief that there is any serious attempt to recycle for environmental sake but just some fussy business where people get paid from land refill savings.
Please confirm the recycling collection is a joke and I can just throw all the rubbish in the bin as of old and not have to worry about cardboard and bottles lying around the streets, as if that's OK I may as well not bother with the hassle and embarrassment.
Roger Lovejoy
Copied to
southwest@biffa.co.uk
and bex
Received a call, before noon, from Carl Hadrill, Biffa's collection manager. Apparently he was at a meeting when I called yesterday. Problems arise from disposal sites not accepting bottles in bags as they used to and collectors not allowed to rip open bags at the kerbside. No reason not to empty open bags or boxes so that is being looked into. No mention of cardboard but Mr Hadrill assured me of an update.
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