What Is Council Tax For?

[Bluestone]

Genuine question, I have no idea.
I always thought it was for the upkeep of the roads, taking away our rubbish, the police, etc?

I have just had a conversation with a lad on the bins. I left some black bags outside, because I had SO much rubbish over the weekend, I couldn't fit it all into the one wheelie bin I have. He emptied the bin, but walked straight past the bags and onto the next house.
I went outside in my pj's and asked him if he could take the bags, but he said "sorry darling, I'd love to, but I could get the sack".
I asked why and he said that (and I quote) " it costs them £1100 to empty the truck, and if we get caught taking bags we'll get the sack".

Firstly, £1100??!! Is that each time? Surely not!

Secondly, I thought that's what council tax covered? This is a family household and sometimes, just sometimes, we will have more rubbish than what fits into one single wheelie bin - especially at this time of year.

I explained that they were now soaking wet and that I couldn't take them to the tip myself as they would stink! He had a quick look around, and then threw them all into the back of the truck. Bless him.
He said if I had any in the future, to "leave them behind the wall, not on the pavement because if someone from the council saw them and then saw they had gone, they'd be in trouble".

So, what am I supposed to do if I have more rubbish that what fits in the one wheelie bin I have?
Why can't they take bags? Is it because it costs so much to empty the truck? I thought council tax covered this? If not, what does it cover? I can't remember the last time I saw a road sweeper, or a bobby on the beat. Last time I saw a rozzer was when he gave me a parking ticket last week!

[jackthehat]

Can you not buy an old-fashioned 'dustbin' to store your surplus bags in to stop any cats, etc. ripping them open? That's what we do as we still have a rubbish-bag collection rather than wheelie bins.

[jd_1984]

I was hitting the tip at least once a month, however it is more so to dispose of old furniture, garden stuff and cardboard boxes etc..... (we only moved in 5 months ago). Now settled, we do find it hard to fill just the one bin, we are a family of 3 and I wouldnt say we are wasteful at all, we recycle whenever possible too. The average council wheel bin holds 2 standard black bin bags and maybe a couple of shopping sized plastic bags with house hold rubbish. Some months that just isnt enough space for example - This month, and the council are actually skipping a week due to Christmas with our next pick up 2nd week of Jan!
I have a friend who is a "Bin Man" or Waste Collector as he prefers! He has said many times it literally is more than there jobs worth to throw in any waste other than what is in the bins and they are encouraged not to empty "overflowing bins" - the bin's lids should be able to close.

Anyway to answer your question here is a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_Tax

[Hopkirk]

So BS, if you don't recycle food waste, then you put it into the non recycling.

I don't see the difference.

[hc4361]

Bluestone, get a hot compost bin for food waste - you can put meat in it.

[Bluestone]

Lol Hoppy. That made me chuckle :P

Cazz, I do recycle. I don't see how I can do any more than I'm already doing, to be honest.

Old_geezer, That sounds highly frustrating and I understand where you're coming from. Where I used to live, there was a lane behind the houses in my street and someone used to constantly dump stuff there. We had a fence with no gate, so no access to the lane, but once I looked over and couldn't believe how much crap had been dumped there! Bags and bags of rubbish, turf, old paint pots and, randomly, a baby's highchair! It looked absolutely awful and even though I couldn't see it, I had to get it removed as I didn't want people thinking it had come from our house. It was literally just dumped at the end of our garden behind the fence. Why do people do it? Laziness!!

Zedbloke, we have one large wheelie bin which we have to put black bags in. They must contain only non-recyclable waste.
We then have three green recycling boxes for glass, metal, paper and plastic (not sure why there's only three!?)
There is then a brown recycling box (a small one) which is for food waste. That is the only one I don't use.
The extra bags I had were a mixture of non recyclable and food waste.

[Bluestone]

JTH, good idea! I must say, it's not often they are ripped open, my main issue is having to take them to the dump myself. I was on a roll though, so thought I'd have a rant about the baked bean incident! :P

JD, glad it's not just me. I just don't get how they came to the conclusion that one wheelie bin would be enough for absolutely every single family. What if you'r a family of five, or six? What then? Ridiculous is what it is.

Hop, I don't get what you mean - sorry?
No, I don't recycle food waste, so yes I put it into the non-recyclable. This doesn't take up *that* much space though. We don't waste much.

HC, hot compost bin? Is that just like a normal compost bin that you have in the garden? One you put things like grass cuttings and tea bags in? I was going to get one, but I read somewhere they encourage rats, and I've already had to deal with one rat problem in the past!

[knowabit]

If you are receycling all the recyclable stuff, what are you filling a wheelie bin up with? We recycle and each week have just one black bag of rubbish..

[ladybirder]

I would flush the baked beans down the loo. And any soft food waste. Can't stand flies and smells.

[Baldric]

One thing no-one has mentioned, is that if it's the same as our Council, when your Council Tax bill drops through the letterbox, along with the actual Bill there's a whole sheaf of paperwork that explains exactly what the tax is for, but I guess you just recycled that rather than read it!

[jackthehat]

If you decant the stuff out of your dustbin into the wheelie bin each time the wheelie gets emptied, you shouldn't have anything hanging around more than a week, and won't have to take it to the dump yourself.

[bednobs]

problem is of course that food waste then attracts the predators that open bags and leave you having to clean up cold greasy beans.
in our council area though, you recycle food waste into a caddy they provide, then week1 they collect it in the green waste, but week 2 it goes in your bin and just goes to landfill anyway!

Did you get your non-payment of council tax sorted after all?

[hc4361]

ladybirder - you are literally feeding the sewer rats by putting food down the law.

A hot compost bin has a solid bottom so does not encourage rats. I have a hot compost bin and a normal compost bin - and no rats.
http://hotbincomposting.wordpress.com/about-2/

[tamborine]

open up your fire place & draw some heat from your combustibles. I only bin bottles & tins.

[Bluestone]

knowabit, without opening up all the bins I wouldn't be able to remember absolutely everything that goes in there. As I said, it's not every single week that I go over the allowance, but sometimes I do have more than the one wheelie bin will hold, and, it seems I am not alone with this!
I would say it's a mixture of food waste and certain plastics.

Ladybirder, hmm. Could do I suppose. Good idea, actually. I absolutely hate flies too!

Baldric, the last time I got a letter from the council, regarding council tax, there was definitely no leaflet in there. The only leaflet I have ever had from them, was a leaflet attached to the recycling boxes, explaining what could/couldn't be recycled.

Thank you for all the answers. It seems I will have to take my extra bags to the dump myself. No matter how stinky and inconvenient it is.

Have to go now. Thanks for allowing me to have a moan! :-)

[hc4361]

What do you do with your plastics, tambo?

[ladybirder]

Lucky you hc having room for a compost bin. I most certainly would if I could but I live in a 1st floor flat so no chance for me.

[tamborine]

if small, they're burnt or recycled on ebay.....surprising what peeps buy :)

[hc4361]

tambo - your empty washing up liquid bottles, bleach bottles etc?

[tamborine]

I buy 5ltr bulks so they're recycled as animal feed scoops

[hc4361]

Oh