[Chrisoldinho]

What do you think? Personally I think it's a good idea, however would like to see some guidelines drawn up as everyone knows, it's not possible to recycle everything which is recyclable. Also, I would like to see clearer markings about what is recyclable because some plastics for example simply don't have anything wrote on them so i've no idea whether it is something I can recycle or not.

Obviously with every positive there must be a negative, and that is that people would be charged for not recycling (how rules would work on this would be interesting). Now whilst I don't agree with the charging I don't really see any other way to force people to recycle.

What does everyone else think?

Chris.

[rcaudwell]

Depends what you mean by "forced" and what provision there is for recycling in your area. My local council provides a green box for recycling, but won`t take cardboard or plastic (the 2 most common packaging materials) for reasons known only to the idiots/powers that be.
If they provide a service I will use it, but I have no inclination to trek to the local tip/recycling plant and do it myself. I don`t see why they couldn`t provide a proper service and then decline to take recyclable waste that`s been put in the wrong bin etc (thereby "forcing" you to do it properly), but would strongly disagree with financial penalties for not recycling, as then it just becomes a cash cow for the local authority.
My council has recently gone to the dreaded fortnightly collection, will refuse to take any wheelie bin where the lid isn`t shut (and they have refused bins with the lids 1cm ajar) and any that they can`t lift the handle on the back with 2 fingers (I sh!t you not - you couldn`t make it up) All this has achieved is me having to pay a private company to come and empty my bin on the alternate weeks to the council.
If they could do it properly I don`t see why not, although I don`t think many local councils are capable of doing anything properly.

[RobM]

Forced... No.

But every possible effort should be made to make it as easy as possible for us to do so. If it's no more effort to do it, then people will do it. Local councils should be providing bins, for instance, that help us split our waste.

[ad47uk]

To be able to force people then the whole country will have to have a uniformed method of collection, that is not going to happen. Our council are letting us have our say about rubbish collection for next year. At the moment, we get a blue or clear bag, which in one goes plastic and tins, the other is paper, thin card and cloth, these are collected alternative weeks, we also have a black back for normal rubbish which is collected every weeks.


The system they want to bring in is a wheelie bin for recyclables, which will be collected every fortnight and keep the black bags for normal rubbish, collected every week. They have asked what people think about having a wheelie bin for normal rubbish. But it will still be collected weekly.
The reason for the change so they say is so they can collect glass and they can provide a recyling service for all the county, not just a part.


so no chance of them forcing us, and they have said so, but they will encourage people to recycle. If I have to have a wheelie bin stuck in my driveway it is not going to encourage me, in fact it will discourage me as I would stick the bin in the shed and leave it there.


I think it is a choice people should make, I don't recycle now anyway, I just wish the refuse collectors would stop throwing recyling bags over, because I don't use them.

[Corey USA]

Yes resource depletion. which will drive cost up which affects you indirectly.

[ad47uk]

I will recycle if I fell like it. I don;t get paid to recycle, I don't get paid to have lots of bins on my property, I don't get paid to wash out tins and bottles. If the government or council wants me to do that, then they will have to make it worth my while, other wise they can go away.

[andykn]

Originally Posted by ad47uk

I will recycle if I fell like it. I don;t get paid to recycle, I don't get paid to have lots of bins on my property, I don't get paid to wash out tins and bottles. If the government or council wants me to do that, then they will have to make it worth my while, other wise they can go away.

Do you get paid to clean your house?

[Chrisoldinho]

Originally Posted by ad47uk

I will recycle if I fell like it. I don;t get paid to recycle, I don't get paid to have lots of bins on my property, I don't get paid to wash out tins and bottles. If the government or council wants me to do that, then they will have to make it worth my while, other wise they can go away.

One of the most primitive responses i've read on these forums in quite some time that one. A perfect attitude towards enforced charging?

Originally Posted by andykn

Do you get paid to clean your house?

[kav]

Recycling's been on the go for several years in Ireland. There's no such thing as a dustbin there now - all rubbish must be disposed of by category - organic (all foodstuffs), paper, cardboard, plastics, etc. You have to pay the council* if you want to dump household items like cookers, dvd players, etc. It's worked very successfully so far, but there was a lot of moaning until people got used to it.

*NB there's no council tax in Ireland.

[Chrisoldinho]

Originally Posted by kavanf1

Recycling's been on the go for several years in Ireland. There's no such thing as a dustbin there now - all rubbish must be disposed of by category - organic (all foodstuffs), paper, cardboard, plastics, etc. You have to pay the council* if you want to dump household items like cookers, dvd players, etc. It's worked very successfully so far, but there was a lot of moaning until people got used to it.

*NB there's no council tax in Ireland.

Sounds like a good idea, has the Government got any plans to trial this anywhere?

[Bilbob]

I'm actually in favour of recycling, but it's not practical for everyone...
me for instance. I live in a small 2 up 2 down... small rear yard, very small front. Where am I meant to keep 3 bins? I barely have room for 1, let alone 3...

I am in favour, but there is a level of practicality and realism that has to be borne in mind...

[loz]

Yes, but...

it needs to be part of other measures
- cut down on packaging etc. So there is less to recycle, and less to fill up your bins
- better recycling facilities. No point putting it out for recycling only to have the council dump it in a landfill anyway (which is done... )

[ad47uk]

Originally Posted by andykn

Do you get paid to clean your house?

Different thing, I clean the house, so I can live in a clean and tidy environment. If I recycle or not, the rubbish is still taken away, until they make it worth while to recycle, I won't.

[ad47uk]

Originally Posted by Chrisoldinho

One of the most primitive responses i've read on these forums in quite some time that one. A perfect attitude towards enforced charging?

Well Autumn next year our council is changing the way rubbish is collected. at the moment, we have a weekly rubbish collection, using black bags. We also have a system where one week they collect plastic and tins and the next week they collect paper and cloth, that is also done in plastic bags.

Next year the black bags are staying and we are suppose to be having wheely bins for the recycling part. Glass, paper, tins and plastic will go in the wheely bin and that will be collected every fortnight. Normal rubbish will still be collected weekly n the back bags.

I can't see it making any difference, people who don't recycle will still not recycle, the only difference is that the new system will reach more of the county. As much as it will disgust you, our council are still not going to force people to recycle. If you do you do, if you don't then so be it.

My wheely bin will go in the back yard, it will be useful t store stuff in.

[Sonic67]

Originally Posted by Chrisoldinho

Obviously with every positive there must be a negative, and that is that people would be charged for not recycling (how rules would work on this would be interesting).

If people were going to be charged won't there be more fly-tipping? Any scheme needs the support of the public. Pee them off and some people will be disgruntled but will go along with it. Others will think sod that and dump whatever the bin man doesn't take away.

[chipxtreme]

I think we should. I recycle glass, paper, etc and have done well before recycle bins were handed out by the council. I think its selfish and lazy to not recycle.

[ad47uk]

Originally Posted by chipxtreme

I think we should. I recycle glass, paper, etc and have done well before recycle bins were handed out by the council. I think its selfish and lazy to not recycle.

That is nice for you. Just because I don't recycle, don't make me lazy. I have more things to do in my life than to spend time sorting out rubbish and to run outside everytime I need to throw something away. I don't understand what is selfish about not recycling? If that s true, then there is a lot of selfish people around, considering that the amount of people that recycle are still low.


just glad our council have the sense not to force people to recycle.


You want to recyle, then do so, if it makes you feel good, but don't think that you or anyone else have the right to tell me what I do with my rubbish. I pay to have it collected, I don't pay and then have to sort it out.

[Bruce_]

I know that in some countries you will get fined for not recycling. I hope that it doesn't come to that in the UK. But obviously there will always be those that choose not to do so. Personally, I think being socially responsible is important, and therefore I recycle. When you're in the habit of doing it, it really isn't any extra effort.

If you have time to read this post, then you have time to recycle. So be honest, it's not a time issue, it's a personal choice to NOT recycle.

This forum is for those that care about saving the planet.

To comment on the original topic, no I don't think we should be forced to recycle. But I think the attitude of the few will require it, and then the many will have to live by those rules. The issue then is what do you do about it, and how do you police it. Like everything in life, those that are sneaky will get away with it. And the innocent will end up being caught, and be fined, for a simple mistake.

To force people to recycle is one thing. Perhaps we should be forcing the councils to recycle more than what is easy for them. There seems to be more talk than action. I was recycling in Australia, more than 12 years ago. Many types of plastic was recycled. Glass was recycled (collected with your normal rubbish). But in the UK, at least for my council, recycling as part of your weekly rubbish collection has only been going on for a couple of years. I still need to take glass to the bottle bank. They don't take plastic unless it's a bottle. So there's a LOT of stuff that is recyclable, but rejected by the council.

There's more to this debate than just those that "don't have time".

[johntheexpat]

A big part of the problem is that the UK is so affluent, the citizens don't have to recycle stuff, so a lot of them don't. Waste goes hand in hand with affluence.

[Bruce_]

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

A big part of the problem is that the UK is so affluent, the citizens don't have to recycle stuff, so a lot of them don't. Waste goes hand in hand with affluence.

Maybe the wealthy just tell their staff to do it.

How does affluence relate to the ability or interest in recycling. I would have thought it'd be the other way around. Those with small houses, and no room for a second bin, would be *less* inclined to recycle. Just being devil's advocate, as I don't believe money has much to do with recycling.

An affluent society certainly would have more *need* to recycle though.

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by Bruce_

How does affluence relate to the ability or interest in recycling.

An affluent society can afford to insist on extra packaging so stuff looks nice, can bear the cost of throw away plastic bags every time someone visits a supermarket, are happy to buy huge Sunday newspapers - most of which will be unread.
If you are earning money in a well paid job, you don't care too much if some food has been in the fridge for weeks, you just bin it and drive to the superstore to buy some more. You buy things you don't need on the spur of the moment, which get put in a cupboard and forgotten until they are discarded. Clothes get bought, don't look so good in daylight and are put away in a wardrobe. In a society where time is money, then time spent on recycling is a cost that doesn't need to be borne when its cheap and easy to throw stuff away.

And yes, I'm as guilty as the next person.

[NikB]

I think it's good to recycle but I do wonder just how much of it genuinely does get recycled. There has certainly been an issue with green glass not getting re-used at some point.

I'm all for more of my waste being sorted but it should be made easier to do so. I currently have a lot of my garage space taken up by crates of bottles and cardboard because I have to take it to the tip. I would rather that was collected alongside the tins, plastic and paper.

I also think the main burden should be with the packaging manufacturers. It is incredibly wasteful and by and large completely unnecessary. If anyone should be 'forced' to do something then it's them not us.

[tapzilla2k]

I'm all for recycling. We just need to get into the habit of seperating waste into what's recycleable and what's not. I don't believe affluence has anything to do with not recycling. We've been chucking rubbish into landfill sites for a long time and the habit of chucking everything away is going to be a hard one to break for some people.

As for glass recycling, i think the best way to recycle it is to have a network of glass bottle banks, so glass has more of a chance of being seperated properly. Instead of being contaminated and only good for use in road building.

[damo_in_sale]

Originally Posted by Chrisoldinho

What do you think? Personally I think it's a good idea, however would like to see some guidelines drawn up as everyone knows, it's not possible to recycle everything which is recyclable. Also, I would like to see clearer markings about what is recyclable because some plastics for example simply don't have anything wrote on them so i've no idea whether it is something I can recycle or not.

Obviously with every positive there must be a negative, and that is that people would be charged for not recycling (how rules would work on this would be interesting). Now whilst I don't agree with the charging I don't really see any other way to force people to recycle.

What does everyone else think?

Chris.

Perhaps we should be 'forced' to Goose-step too?

[damo_in_sale]

Originally Posted by chipxtreme

I think we should. I recycle glass, paper, etc and have done well before recycle bins were handed out by the council. I think its selfish and lazy to not recycle.

I think it's selfish and lazy to just 'think' that it's okay to enact draconian legislature to force law abiding others to behave in a way of which you approve.

What if I wanted to force you to behave in way I approve?

[damo_in_sale]

Originally Posted by tapzilla2k

I'm all for recycling.

Why? Do you suppose that placing 'recyclables' in the correctly coloured bin will save the world? What happens to the 'recyclables' after your neatly sorted rubbish is removed by the council (possibly once every fortnight if the lazy, spendthrift morons in the council have their way)?
Are the recyclables meticulously 'recycled' in efficient and modern recycling plants, near to the source of the rubbish?

[tapzilla2k]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

Why? Do you suppose that placing 'recyclables' in the correctly coloured bin will save the world? What happens to the 'recyclables' after your neatly sorted rubbish is removed by the council (possibly once every fortnight if the lazy, spendthrift morons in the council have their way)?
Are the recyclables meticulously 'recycled' in efficient and modern recycling plants, near to the source of the rubbish?

I know the reality of council recycling, and it's not that good (most of the plastic ends up in china for recycling where little regard is given to the workers or the environment). It requires proper Government lead action to get recycling to a point where things actually get recycled properly (local recycling centres, compost plants for food waste, proper seperation of plastics and glass etc). Leave it to local councils and they will just find ways to spend the money on other things while giving a shoddy waste and recycling collection service. Oxford City Council is one of the worst offenders when it comes to waste management or lack of it. Waste should be collected every week, and how to pay for that ? Cut down on the excess spending by Local and County Councils on Executives and various pointless exercises by council's to find out what they are already know most of the time.
However we are now entering a time when resources are starting to run low, and out of the mountains of waste, raw materials can be extracted and reused. Recycling is not cheap, but then nor is mining for various mineral ores in open cast or underground mines.

[andykn]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

I think it's selfish and lazy to just 'think' that it's okay to enact draconian legislature to force law abiding others to behave in a way of which you approve.

What if I wanted to force you to behave in way I approve?

You'd have to get the support of enough of the "little people" to vote in someone who would legislate the way you approve.

It's called Democracy.

Presumably in this case you wish to force us to litter the country with unnecessary landfill. And to force us to pay extra taxes for unnecessary weekly rubbish collections.

[damo_in_sale]

Originally Posted by andykn

You'd have to get the support of enough of the "little people" to vote in someone who would legislate the way you approve.

It's called Democracy.

You think power should be yielded to remove decent folks freedoms and pay packets, until they bend to the will of the leftie 'fascists'.

I think power should be used to increase peoples freedoms and allow them to keep more of their hard earned pay packets.

Originally Posted by andykn

Presumably in this case you wish to force us to litter the country with unnecessary landfill. And to force us to pay extra taxes for unnecessary weekly rubbish collections.

We used to pay half of the council tax we do today, and the state emptied our bins every week without question.

[andykn]

Originally Posted by damo_in_sale

You think power should be yielded to remove decent folks freedoms and pay packets, until they bend to the will of the leftie 'fascists'.

I think power should be used to increase peoples freedoms and allow them to keep more of their hard earned pay packets.

I judge on issues, not ideology.

Do I think those who don't recycle will landfill their own gardens? No.

Do I think the rest of us should be forced to provide landfill for items that could be recycled? No.