Yet another CRT survey

[sigsegv]

Just got the following in my inbox, another survey. This time it's asking what we think about the quality of the network and it's facilities.

 

Hello,
Knowing what boaters think about the Canal & River Trust is very important to us, and we would therefore ask you to take part in our latest Survey by clicking on the following link (Please note that the survey will close on the 25th September 2023):

 

<Snip>

 

We use the results of this survey to help us plan and prioritise improvements, so your participation is much appreciated, however, if you do not wish to take part in this survey please click on the following link:

<snip>

If you have any questions about the survey please email <snip>

 

One thing I found interesting is the following;

 

Refuse Disposal and Recycling bins where available (N.B. even where there are no specific recycling bins the waste is sorted and recycled off site.)

 

Does this mean that when, upon not being able to find any recycling bins, we've reluctantly chucked our recycling into the general waste biffas, it's actually been OK and some of that might end up actually being recycled (at least... As much as any of the stuff we put into normal recycling bins gets recycled...)

Edited September 6, 2023 by sigsegv
1. Email address obscured a bit by a moderator. 2. removed all external links

[BEngo]

 Biffa do the waste  at our moorings and we have two sorts of bins.  One for recyclables, which is apparently  sorted into types at a depot and a general waste bin which also gets sorted into recyclables, electricity from waste because there is a plant nearby, and the rest.

 I think this is their general practice.

N

 

[john6767]

That is what Biffa claim to do, but with what level of success I guess is the question.  But then again how much of what you put in normal household waste recycling actually gets recycled anyway.

[Ronaldo47]

Biffa collect the rubbish at the heritage railway where I volunteer. Although our bins have respective "reyclables" and "non-recylables" labels,  they are all collected by a lorry that only has the one compartment that everything goes into. When we queried this, the driver said to ignore the labels and use any bin for anything, as it all gets sorted on a conveyor at the depot.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Ronaldo47
typos

[sigsegv]

17 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

When we queried this, the driver said to ignore the labels and use any bin for anything, as it all gets sorted on a conveyor at the depot.

Raises the question of why we're often told to only recycle clean stuff then, if it's all going into a lorry full of delicious garbage water

[Chris Lowe]

We  stopped sorting our recycling at work when it was noticed that Cawleys just dumped everything in the same lorry.

[Jerra]

Certainly in our area roadside recycling is collected by a different lorry with three compartments - plastic, paper/card and glass/tins.  Garden waste another lorry on another day.

[Ronaldo47]

Our own domestic waste collection arrangement is on a fortnightly cycle.  Week one:  general waste (black sack),  paper & card (blue sack) , and food waste. Week two: black sack, tins & plastic (white sack), food waste, garden waste (green sack), and glass (red box).  Different waste is collected at different times by different lorries. The blue and white sacks are heavy duty ones that get emptied and returned. 

[Creaking Gate]

Its perfectly normal process for when the chance of contaminates is high, ergo if sent direct to a recycling facility would create a problem and may incur financial penalties.  While most of us would recycle probably, a bigger group throw anything in without care therefore to avoid penalties, a mixed collection is used (sifted later).  Whereas a domestic collection much more reliance can be placed on people doing it properly and bin operatives can check which provides an additional layer.  This is significantly much harder when they are 1100 LTR euro bins, worse with skips.

 

I know of people who have not had the domestic recycling bin taken because naughty things were found inside.  Imagine that happening on CaRT bin compounds, the way people treat them the stuff would be thrown on the floor without care, but with several complaints attached.

 

Plus, slightly less impactful - not all recycling facilities are the same and some can do stuff others cannot.

[Machpoint005]

It's a great shame that bin colours and contents were not standardised across the whole country. They're not even standard across the various local authorities in Greater Manchester. 

 

 

 

[Doug_]

When we held the ECP&DA Rally at Langley Mill at the end of May CRT provided us with a Biffa Bin. We asked for one to Recycle plastics etc. and were told that it is all sorted at the depot. When the bin was delivered it was plastered with Recyle Here stickers which the driver promptly ripped off and replaced with General Waste. Not sure I believe anything CRT tell us any more.

[Mike Todd]

3 hours ago, Jerra said:

Certainly in our area roadside recycling is collected by a different lorry with three compartments - plastic, paper/card and glass/tins.  Garden waste another lorry on another day.

I suspect the difference is between local authority (LA) domestic collection and commercial waste (which all from a canal is) The LA will be under constraints to show how they have promoted recycling for political reasons whilst Biffa commercial will take whatever is the most profitable. (They will be constrained in business terms by the landfill tax which is intended to promote better processing)

[dixi188]

On 06/09/2023 at 14:57, Machpoint005 said:

It's a great shame that bin colours and contents were not standardised across the whole country. They're not even standard across the various local authorities in Greater Manchester. 

 

 

 

Once upon a time we had a thing called "British Standards". What happened to that?

[Mike Todd]

3 minutes ago, dixi188 said:

Once upon a time we had a thing called "British Standards". What happened to that?

Wee exported it to the EU and forgot to keep the expertise - now lost? Certainly Parliament seems to have lost the ability (will/time away from slagging each other/mending duff roofs) to pass replacement regs

[DHutch]

Or local tip recycling centre (Veolia, Bidston) has a LED display at the end of the queue to get in which proudly displays that they manage to recycle less than half of what turns up to the site....

 

 

....apparently this year it fell again, from 35% ten years ago to now only being 30%...     ... the target was 50% by 2020!

 

https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/23681117.recycling-rates-wirral-branded-dismal-scathing-report/

[Jerra]

1 hour ago, DHutch said:

Or local tip recycling centre (Veolia, Bidston) has a LED display at the end of the queue to get in which proudly displays that they manage to recycle less than half of what turns up to the site....

 

 

....apparently this year it fell again, from 35% ten years ago to now only being 30%...     ... the target was 50% by 2020!

 

https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/23681117.recycling-rates-wirral-branded-dismal-scathing-report/

Ours has never fallen below 60% and currently stands at 67%

[Quattrodave]

At our local tip you get accosted by somone with a clip board by the gate asking if you've booked and have proof of address.  If you haven't they force you to turn around in the queue and drive away with a very disapproving look... and they wonder why fly tipping is on the rise!

[Ronaldo47]

Essex County Council  introduced compulsory booking earlier this year. My local district  councillor tells me that fly tipping has increased significantly since.  The district council is responsible for clearing up fly tipping, so less cost for Essex has resulted in more cost for them. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Ronaldo47
typos

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo47 said:

The district council is responsible for clearing up fly tipping,

 

Is it? Are you sure? 

 

I've been under the impression it becomes the land owner whose land had been fly-tipped upon's problem. This is why farmers get so exercised about it.

 

[Ronaldo47]

We have a lot of country lanes and stuff often gets dumped in the carriageway or the verge forming part of the public highway. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Ronaldo47
typo

[DHutch]

On 07/09/2023 at 18:43, Jerra said:

Ours has never fallen below 60% and currently stands at 67%

That's a bit better!

 

Our curbside waste (which goes to the same place) won't even accept plastic trays or yogurt pots. The only plastic we can recycle curbside is bottles. 

 

We offload our plastic trays to our parents who both live in different neighboring counties who do. Cheshire and N Wales. 

On 07/09/2023 at 23:25, Quattrodave said:

... and they wonder why fly tipping is on the rise!

 Bonkers isn't it. 

On 08/09/2023 at 00:17, Ronaldo47 said:

We have a lot of country lanes and stuff often gets dumped in the carriageway or the verge forming part of the public highway. 

Yeah, that's what happens here. Local unadopted road (public, no houses off it) is the prime candidate. Anything from two bags for life full of tins an bottles, via a soiled mattress, to a Transit tipper full of mixed green waste and hardcore. 

 

Council has its own website for reporting flytipping. 

[Sea Dog]

On 07/09/2023 at 18:43, Jerra said:

Ours has never fallen below 60% and currently stands at 67%

 

10 minutes ago, DHutch said:

That's a bit better!

 

I could make you a sign that made it look a whole lot better than that. What would you like, 76%? 87%? 

[Jerra]

20 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

I could make you a sign that made it look a whole lot better than that. What would you like, 76%? 87%? 

Looking at a few things

 

a) the sign goes up and down, surely if you were making a sign to fool people you wouldn't change it regularly and above all not make large jumps up and down

 

b) our recycling centre is bigger than either the one my daughter uses in Sheffield or the other daughter in Edinburgh.   No appointments or "prove who you are".   It is always busy often you have to park 2 deep.

 

Personally, I can believe their figures, but then again I am not a cynic.

[Sea Dog]

51 minutes ago, Jerra said:

Personally, I can believe their figures, but then again I am not a cynic.

I guess that'll be me labelled then! 

Just pointing out that it's far easier to adjust a sign to either encourage or bamboozle than it is to achieve the figures in the first place. Some of the posts above suggest there's a fair bit of greenwashing going on rather than actual recycling. Holding councils to account is a tool in the toolbox of ensuring genuine action. 

[Unicorn Stampede]

On 06/09/2023 at 11:58, BEngo said:

 Biffa do the waste  at our moorings and we have two sorts of bins.  One for recyclables, which is apparently  sorted into types at a depot and a general waste bin which also gets sorted into recyclables, electricity from waste because there is a plant nearby, and the rest.

 I think this is their general practice.

N

 

We spent a winter at a CRT winter mooring which has a waste area with recycling bins.

 

Every week the Biffa truck turned up, and dumped the general waste and the recycling waste, one by one, into the same truck, no separation. 

 

After seeing that, not entirely convinced they bother to do actual recycling. It's possible I don't understand how they split it up, but it feels pointless to seperate it, then to bring it all in together again before taking it away.