Refuse storage on boats

[Jerra]

 

Somewhere in-between, I think. New drinks bottles bought in bulk are well below 50p each (see http://www.jbconline.co.uk/ for examples), so 5p might be an appropriate fee nowadays for returning a bottle to a shop. I'm not quite sure why the drinks manufacturers stopped taking the empties back, which I think occurred somewhere around the late 1960s, but maybe it had something to do with the labour costs of cleaning them and checking the glass over for damage, or a proliferation of different bottles and/or imported drinks making it too awkward to get the right bottles back to the right plant. It really seems a silly waste of energy to me that whole bottles are thrown into bottle banks, broken, melted down and made into new... whole bottles.

 

For the sake of the environment I think someone in government should be looking at this, and working with the drinks industry to standardise bottles and do whatever else it takes to make it economic to return and re-use them. Canal transport might be a very efficient way of getting bottles back to their place of origin, because they're a heavy and fragile but non-perishable cargo. Maybe we should find a brewery sited by a canal and ask what they'd pay per crate of their bottles delivered back to them?

 

For my home-made jam, wine, etc. I'm constantly re-using old bottles and jars, but of course I do it manually and I know what's been in them.

While I whole heartedly agree about bottle reuse (we still get our milk on the door step in glass bottles), I suspect the reason for stopping returnable bottles was, shops not wanting to take up storage space with empties when they could have something that would make a profit filling the space.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

I sat on a park bench in India and was wondering what to do with my banana skin when a goat passing by delicately ate it.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

You see, There is a lot to be said for a Goat on board, Security, Waste management, Endless amounts of fuel for the Woodburner (Goat poo fire pellets !) & ofcourse Food,

[rasputin]

But once you have eat it you have lost the " Security, Waste management, Endless amounts of fuel for the Woodburner (Goat poo fire pellets !) "

[Naughty Cal]

 

My irresponsible behaviour?

I put our rubbish into public bins. A bin man arrives in the morning, tips it into a truck. It then gets disposed of properly. I pay council tax.

Would you rather I dump it on the towpath or keep it in my boat while cruising so it starts to smell and develops maggots?

If it is of any consolation Dean, we do the same when we cant find a CRT refuse site, although we try to do so in small quantities..

 

Newark is a fine example. Loads of moorings, a CRT office but no refuse disposal facility for boat owners. We ended up using the public bins in the riverside park to dispose of a couple of small bags of rubbish.

On land, we used to just stuff near the drive gates, within two days it would magically disappear.

 

Can't do that afloat. Thought about leaving it someone else's drive.

 

Martyn

Yes we had a disappearing fridge one weekend.

 

Our fridge broke and was replaced under warranty. They didn't take the old one away so we left it in front of the garage door on Friday morning with the intention of taking it to the tip on the Monday evening when we got back from the boat .

 

Arrived back home on Monday to find it had gone. Still don't know where it ended up.

 

It looked like brand new as well just didn't keep things cold

[J R ALSOP]

I always believed that roadside/park bins are for litter, not domestic waste, that is what the household waste facitility units are for, bottles, paper, cardboard, metal etc.

[David Mack]

I always believed that roadside/park bins are for litter, not domestic waste, that is what the household waste facitility units are for, bottles, paper, cardboard, metal etc.

But the local authority household waste facilities are only for the Council Tax payers of that authority area. A number check your address before letting you in. So not a lot of use to boaters out cruising away from home or CCers.

[ditchcrawler]

But the local authority household waste facilities are only for the Council Tax payers of that authority area. A number check your address before letting you in. So not a lot of use to boaters out cruising away from home or CCers.

But CaRT have loads waste disposal points, I agree if you are not moving for 14 days things would build up. At home our bin gets emptied every 14 days so that would be a wheelie bin full

[DeanS]

The truth is that in built up areas the Council give planning permission for developers to sell "canalside" properties at a premium, but don't provide services for boats on those canals....they wouldn't want boats to ruin the peace and tranquility ;-) Boaters have to "make do, make a plan, turn themselves into criminals just to throw out some trash. ;-)

[mango]

But CaRT have loads waste disposal points, I agree if you are not moving for 14 days things would build up. At home our bin gets emptied every 14 days so that would be a wheelie bin full

But CCers are not obliged to stay in one place for 14 days. Many of them enjoy boating.

[floatsyourboat]

Tesco and some other super markets have recycling bins.

If anyone's interested how about creating a google map with recycling points for boaters that everyone can share and add to?

[Aunty_Rinum]

This all seems to be a non problem. Two of us living aboard eat normally, shop normally, and are left with the equivalent of two black sacks of rubbish a week. It's not difficult to dispose of them.

[Jerra]

Tesco and some other super markets have recycling bins.

If anyone's interested how about creating a google map with recycling points for boaters that everyone can share and add to?

I think that would be a good idea but I am not near the canals often enough to be much help.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Dean, I seem to recall a court case involving someone who deposited general rubbish in a litter bin. I think its an offence undersome environmental or littering act like fly tipping. I would hate to see you in court.

Tony,

 

I'm not sure how anyone would go about proving the 'offence' even if they watch you put the waste in the litter bin. If questioned the stock reply would be,'..This isn't my waste, it's stuff that I've picked up in the towpath and now I'm disposing of it...", how are they going to prove otherwise, or even try to?

 

I think if you tried to dispose of hazardous waste (waste oil, etc) in a litter bin you'd get picked up and prosecuted but that would be a whole different case since whether it was yours or not it shouldn't be in a litter bin.

[system 4-50]

That's settled then. Coal boats should supply coal, gas, new batteries, antifreeze, oil & (for me) meths, and take away pump out tank contents, rubbish sacks, waste oil, waste antifreeze, & dead batteries. Possibly also provide a selection of wines from a wine cellar?

[SamKingfisher]

That's settled then. Coal boats should supply coal, gas, new batteries, antifreeze, oil & (for me) meths, and take away pump out tank contents, rubbish sacks, waste oil, waste antifreeze, & dead batteries. Possibly also provide a selection of wines from a wine cellar?

Which brand of meths do you prefer? I find the Wickes stuff to have some cheeky citrus notes, great with fish.