Brixton news, rumours and general chat - November 2013

[Ms T]

They replaced my orange sacks with some sort of thick plastic reuseable bag one quarter the size. I'm finding it most annoying having to go out to the bins 3 times as often.

We are still on the orange bag system but will be getting the clear ones soon. I wait in anticipation. In other waste news, my neighbour thwarted the removal of her bin by putting it downstairs in her yard so they couldn't get it. She is very proud of her bin. Years ago we got shouted at because hendo had accidentally put a small plastic bag of rubbish in her bin. She also gets a company to sanitise it once a month and line it. Bin wars!

 

[Ms T]

we got a long handled thing that you leave outside and a smaller box to fill up indoors and empty into long handled thingy thing, oh and some free bags but we have to buy our own once they have gone.

Hendo is outraged that we have to buy our own "caddy bags", I believe they're called.

 

[leanderman]

Hendo is outraged that we have to buy our own "caddy bags", I believe they're called.

Trying to work out if we can get by with our new slimline bin or whether I should 'swap' it for one of the new big ones that some neighbours have mysteriously been given but probably won't have noticed yet.

On the other hand, I have five slop buckets.

 

[Ms T]

Trying to work out if we can get by with our new slimline bin or whether I should 'swap' it for one of the new big ones that some neighbours have mysteriously been given but probably won't have noticed yet.

On the other hand, I have five slop buckets.

Apparently you get a big bin if your house has been converted into flats and you have to share it. Or something. However, I'm not sure their records are very good. We got two food waste bins because we have two front doors so they always assume there are two flats, but a slimline bin.

 

[Onket]

Sounds like a fair assessment! Why have you got two front doors?

 

[Manter]

We got the binmageddon letter last week.
I struggle to get too excited by it, but sure I'll feel differently when we are binless/ can't get a week's worth of nappies into the thin bin or whatever

 

[colacubes]

I've heard it from pensioners that if you go between 9 and 10 (ie. right at the start of the off peak hours) it's pretty quiet then.

I swim with the pensioners and they are correct 9-10 and also 2.30-3.30 is pretty quiet. That slot in the afternoon avoids lunchtime swimmers and after school kids just about. Sometimes 4.30-5.30 can be quite quiet as well but it's a bit random.

 

[leanderman]

Gonna try to recycle (even) more to deal with slim bin and its nine offspring (five slops, three for snow warden grit, 1 fox-proof milk caddy). Need to offload some.

 

[leanderman]

I swim with the pensioners and they are correct 9-10 and also 2.30-3.30 is pretty quiet. That slot in the afternoon avoids lunchtime swimmers and after school kids just about. Sometimes 4.30-5.30 can be quite quiet as well but it's a bit random.

Another vote for 2.30-3.30. Kids lessons take one or two lanes from 4pm.

 

[Ms T]

Sounds like a fair assessment! Why have you got two front doors?

Basement entrance and main entrance - both require going up or down steps. Victorian town house.

 

[Ms T]

We got the binmageddon letter last week.
I struggle to get too excited by it, but sure I'll feel differently when we are binless/ can't get a week's worth of nappies into the thin bin or whatever

We never got a letter - the bins just arrived yesterday so it was particularly exciting.

 

[Nedrop]

Lambeth are pretty late to the party with food waste bins, been commonplace in a number of boroughs for years, really improves the recycling rate, it is astonishing the amount of refuse waste some households produce so this is a step in the right direction. You do need to buy your own biodegradable bags or you can simply line it with newspaper. (yes i work in environmental services)

Main issues are animals chewing at the bin to get at the content or binmen lobbing the small caddies about and breaking them (which you should report if you see to improve service). Most councils offer a replacement free of charge in these instances.

 

[SarfLondoner]

Hendo is outraged that we have to buy our own "caddy bags", I believe they're called.

I agree with Hendo! But as mentioned you can use newspaper( free from a tube station)

 

[TruXta]

Reading through the last few pages of comments about the Rec, if it's one thing I never liked about the place it's the fact that the reception always seemed to be bloody chaos. I never used the pool but used to play badminton regularly and it would often take 10-15 minutes just to get through the reception doors and into the changing rooms.

 

[Ms T]

Lambeth are pretty late to the party with food waste bins, been commonplace in a number of boroughs for years, really improves the recycling rate, it is astonishing the amount of refuse waste some households produce so this is a step in the right direction. You do need to buy your own biodegradable bags or you can simply line it with newspaper. (yes i work in environmental services)

Main issues are animals chewing at the bin to get at the content or binmen lobbing the small caddies about and breaking them (which you should report if you see to improve service). Most councils offer a replacement free of charge in these instances.

I'm not quite sure why the small caddies would be outside for the binmen. Aren't you supposed to empty the small caddies into the larger food waste bins?

 

[Manter]

We never got a letter - the bins just arrived yesterday so it was particularly exciting.

You missed a masterpiece of council-ese

 

[Winot]

Reading through the last few pages of comments about the Rec, if it's one thing I never liked about the place it's the fact that the reception always seemed to be bloody chaos. I never used the pool but used to play badminton regularly and it would often take 10-15 minutes just to get through the reception doors and into the changing rooms.

They have not really cracked e-commerce yet, and don't have people answering the telephone from elsewhere, so the 2/3 on the front desk have to answer phones and deal with everything else too e.g parents rebooking or switching swimming lessons; queries about squash court bookings etc.

I have to say, the reception staff are a lot more helpful/less grumpy than in years past (since GLL took over I think).

 

[TruXta]

They have not really cracked e-commerce yet, and don't have people answering the telephone from elsewhere, so the 2/3 on the front desk have to answer phones and deal with everything else too e.g parents rebooking or switching swimming lessons; queries about squash court bookings etc.

I have to say, the reception staff are a lot more helpful/less grumpy than in years past (since GLL took over I think).

In fairness it must easily be 3-4 years since I was last there. What you describe above rings very true for my then experiences.

 

[Winot]

They really could make much better use of website booking - e.g there is only one member of staff afaik who can change lesson times on the website for group exercise classes, and so when s/he is away, it all grinds to a halt.

 

[steeeve]

Trying to work out if we can get by with our new slimline bin or whether I should 'swap' it for one of the new big ones that some neighbours have mysteriously been given but probably won't have noticed yet.

On the other hand, I have five slop buckets.

We get to share 2 big ones as we're 4 flats, they took the newish ones we already had and left us a horrible one with somone elses number on

 

[leanderman]

We get to share 2 big ones as we're 4 flats, they took the newish ones we already had and left us a horrible one with somone elses number on

Which means flats may do better than houses. You and H get just about the same litreage as the five of us!

 

[trabuquera]

Nedrop - I'm made up about getting a new minibin for foodwaste but got a question: on the outside (of the even more mini caddy bin for inside) it says "tea and coffee GROUNDS" are OK. But I use teabags. Can I chuck the whole bag into the bin or does it have to be snipped open and the empty bag put in with non-recycleable stuff? For all I know the bags of teabags are made out of 100% artificial cellulose designed to be indestructible. Please advise.

(I live a very boring life.)

 

[Nedrop]

trabuquera - guidance at my company is tea bags are fine, most councils accept bags & grounds and i expect lambeth will too, i can't see a council putting out guidance for residence to snip individual tea bags to take part, imagine the letters they would get!

mrs t - the outside caddie (often green to the indoor silver) is still small and frequently gets damaged by mishandling as crews work quickly through collections.

 

[steeeve]

Which means flats may do better than houses. You and H get just about the same litreage as the five of us!

Yeah we normally only get through one bin bag a week, that should massively reduce with the food waste box. Feel free to use our spare capacity! Not happy about the tatty bin though!

 

[steeeve]

Nedrop - I'm made up about getting a new minibin for foodwaste but got a question: on the outside (of the even more mini caddy bin for inside) it says "tea and coffee GROUNDS" are OK. But I use teabags. Can I chuck the whole bag into the bin or does it have to be snipped open and the empty bag put in with non-recycleable stuff? For all I know the bags of teabags are made out of 100% artificial cellulose designed to be indestructible. Please advise.

(I live a very boring life.)

whole T bags are fine I think, no mention of eggshells though!

 

[Winot]

whole T bags are fine I think, no mention of eggshells though!

Both are fine I think.

I put a bone from a shoulder of venison into mine last night. Gentrified slop bins FTW.

 

[Ms T]

Nedrop - I'm made up about getting a new minibin for foodwaste but got a question: on the outside (of the even more mini caddy bin for inside) it says "tea and coffee GROUNDS" are OK. But I use teabags. Can I chuck the whole bag into the bin or does it have to be snipped open and the empty bag put in with non-recycleable stuff? For all I know the bags of teabags are made out of 100% artificial cellulose designed to be indestructible. Please advise.

(I live a very boring life.)

I put coffee filters with the coffee grounds in too - they're made of recycled paper so are presumably fine.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Tea bags and paper coffee filters are fine in food waste. IIRC it's actually recommended to put some paper in if you're composting.

 

[Greebo]

Tea bags and paper coffee filters are fine in food waste. IIRC it's actually recommended to put some paper in if you're composting.

Yes - the kitchen waste tumbler on this estate has a notice on it saying to add wood chips if the contents look too wet. FWIW some types of paper (filter paper, tea bags, newspaper etc) biodegrade more quickly but just as usefully as wood chips.

 

[trabuquera]

Thanks all for releasing me from my teabag dilemma hell. steeeve: you can definitely put eggshells into a food waste bin (or straight out on to a compost heap) - like a bit of cardboard or paper, it's actually recommended for composting.