Recycling rant

I live in a block of flats where we have communal bins. Not very attractive to look at, I admit but most of us try to obey the recycling rules. It's just it's all getting to be a bit complicated:

Food waste has to go into the bin marked food waste.

Plastics and glass go into the two big bins downstairs. No bags allowed.

Paper and card go into two other big bins downstairs. Unless the card is 'soiled.' In that case, it has to go to the big recycling bins behind the station. Stuff like polystyrene and bubble wrap also had to go to the station bins. Again, no bags are allowed. You can get rid of clothes and shoes at the station. Of course, the signs at the bins say the clothes much be bagged and the shoes must be tied together with elastic bands.

General household waste goes down the chute at the end of the corridor. In bags.

Then there's the cost. Food waste must go in biodegradable bin liners, which we have to pay for. You need bags to take plastics, glass, paper and card downstairs and these days you have to pay for them too. But you can't put the bags in the bins so you have to bring them back to your flat or take them to the big bins behind the station. You also need to buy bags for stuff that you put down the chute or take to the station. And buy elastic bands for any shoes you dump.

I wonder what my elderly neighbours do if they're housebound. The carers don't do the recycling. Nor does the warden. Do they have to wait for visitors to arrive and get them to do it?

At least one of my neighbours is on a 'dirty protest,' dumping any old kind of rubbish into the first bin s/he comes to. The result is that we now have two food bins that the binmen have sealed and refuse to empty and nowhere to dispose of food waste. We've had a visit from one of the managers at the recycling centre. I was introduced to him and pointed to the sign above the bin area telling us cameras were operating. Couldn't they see who was misusing the bins on those? The warden looked a bit sheepish. It seems we've always had that sign. Just no cameras, because of the cost. I'm not sure what the binman can do unless he stakes the place out 24/7.

I know this is an urban problem. If you live in the country or have an allotment, maybe you can burn your rubbish there?

In the urban setting, the councils get fined if they fail to recycle. As I say, most of us want to reduce waste. it's just not very easy.