CARDBOARD AT THE TIP

[libra]

Have been turned away at the local tip today where i have
been recycling my cardboard for the last five years. "£27.00 min
charge to dump that" i was told.

What do you lot do,,,,,,,,, leave it with the customer or have you a local tip?
I think i will now leave with customer from now on.

From,,,,,,,,,, not all that busy, Libra

[dolly]

HI Libra yes same thing happened to me Easter 2005 except i was threatened with a fine!
How i have got round it is by asking all my customers to get rid of it and explain that as it is classed as "Trade Waste" i can no longer take it without a charge. Even the most arkward customer wont want to pay you to take it away. But if its a nice old lady with no means of transport, i just sling it in my own bin.
Also depends how your own rubbish is collected every local council here do it differently.Mine will take cardboard if it is flat and tied together.

[Blind Scout]

Council pick up paper and waste in re-cycling bins so leave with customer asking them politly if they would put it in their bin. Ocassionally if new house doesn't yet has the bin provided, I will take it away. Local ameity sites are dotted around the area take most re-cyclable waste. Find them usually at the supermnarkets.

Our local main centre for re-cyling deals with all wastes, and so far have no charges, even the loacal builders and garden tidy companies are regularly taking up their waste at no charge. But it looks like the government is looking at charging for all waste by the tonne, including your household bin. (Fitting a microchip to your bin to identify it and you, and weighing it when it empties into the refuse cart)

[phugly]

I always ask the customer to dispose of the packaging. If you buy a new TV you dont leave the box in the shop do you?

[dibsdobs]

I never leave cardboard with customer, I think it looks bad.

Saying that, I have an Asda up the road with a nice big recycling bin

[blindmansam]

dibsdobs said:

I never leave cardboard with customer, I think it looks bad.

Saying that, I have an Asda up the road with a nice big recycling bin

Always leave cardboard and wrappings with customers , they paid for 'em , did n't they!

Its the hillarys way - you know ! See Handbook ......

'give customer all the cr*p'

LOL

[hereticus]

In this area we have recycling bins for cardboard, paper, tins, and plastics - collected weekly - so all my cardboard gets put out for collection, and I usually fill about four bins a week. It has never yet been queried as trade waste - my guess is that the collection is sub-contracted to a company who have a performance target related to tonnage, so I am actually doing them a favour. However, if I do one day get pulled up on it, or if local councils do introduce charges for waste collection, then I will revert to leaving the packaging with the customer.

Extending the subject a little, what do you all do with the rest of the rubbish ? Here are a few ideas :

- I save all the foam pads from venetian and roller packaging and deliver them to a local nursery school, where the kids use them for sponge painting.

- the zip lock poly bags go to the local angling club, who use them for sorting and storing all the wierd and wonderful things that fishermen use

- elastic bands ! For quite a while I saved all these for a local autistic lad (customer's son) whose school project was to make a football out of elastic bands (as featured in a documentary about Africa). Also, just for a laugh, I once dumped a load on our postman's doorstep ! He saw the funny side, took the hint, and our streets are now just that little bit cleaner.

- screws (why do always get so many left over) - when my kids were younger they used to bag them up (zip lock poly bags again) and flog them at a local boot sale to earn some pocket money. Now they are older they can't be bothered, but there must be somebody who can use them.

- do any of you keep the headrail offcuts used for protecting and packaging vertical blinds. Is it worthwhile ? What price do you get for aluminium scrap ? Why can't Hillarys collect these on the delivery van - surely they must get a good scrap price for the tonnage they produce ?

I'm not a complete green 'save the environment' nutter but, if something can be re-used or recycled, what's the harm.

Any other ideas out there ?

[royt]

herticus....you sound like an anorak mate

[Bear]

No, He doesn't souind like an anorak really.
He is doing his best, bearing in mind he's a southerner (oops!--what have I said?)

He is missing an opportunity on the cardboard and waste from a fit, I ask customers what they want me to do with the rubbish!
They reply "Take it with you"
I say ok but I say it costs which it does at the Local Tip which has just gone to charging, and acting like pocket -Hitlers, descending on every car telling you what to do and where to do it!!

IT IS TRADE WASTE--therefore it is dumped at a cost. FACT

If they agree I charge £2 to take it away, as it is well publicised at the tip that its £34.00 for a van load of Trade Waste.

They are renowned tree huggers round here and Idiot Menopausal Women driving gas guzzlers and wearing green wellies berate everyone about recycling, so the locals are well programmed.

If its a small job I take it away free--If its more than 3 blinds then its "Keep it Mrs" or £2 to dump it.
I probably pocket anything from £10 to £16 a week on this which gets me my diesel requirements for the week. Cash goes straight in the ash-tray-Diesel paid always in cash at Morrissions where I get a £5 voucher every 2 months which gives me £30 each year toward the Xmas shop. and of course the Diesel receipt comes off my books.
Thats my bit for recycling done--recycleing cash more like!!!

Oh yes, and what do I do with the Customers cardboard---I dump it in the next town (different county!) at their tip in the Container provided!!!--Costs me nowt and I get 2 slots per week in that area in my post code allocations.

Sad old anorak really, aren't I?
Bear

[greenpesto]

Actually it's a fair question that Hereticus asks!!!

Why don't Hillarys re-cycle stuff?

Off-cut h/rails
Screws
Brackets
Bubble-wrap
Boxes
Etc.

There should be a system in place at least to return excessive amounts of brackets & screws!!!!

Sillarys likes to make up stupid names for these ideas ... e.g. SAM , Intranet , Honeycomb or ?? ... FSM ..... etc!!!!

So perhaps we could call it a 'Brackets Amnesty!' ;D

As far as taking away rubbish from customers homes ... it is only professional to do so!!

However, I don't take away their blinds ... that's theirs!!!!

Once charges increase for rubbish then perhaps I'll have a re-think!!!

[reginald]

I would agree that taking rubbish(packaging )from the customers house is more professional, however I use a van and the local council will not allow vans onto the recycling site as then it is all classed as trade waste and will cost me £40 per visit. So sorry customers but I cannot take the packaging away

[RED]

greenpesto said:

Actually it's a fair question that Hereticus asks!!!

Why don't Hillarys re-cycle stuff?

Off-cut h/rails
Screws
Brackets
Bubble-wrap
Boxes
Etc.

There should be a system in place at least to return excessive amounts of brackets & screws!!!!

Sillarys likes to make up stupid names for these ideas ... e.g. SAM , Intranet , Honeycomb or ?? ... FSM ..... etc!!!!

So perhaps we could call it a 'Brackets Amnesty!' ;D

As far as taking away rubbish from customers homes ... it is only professional to do so!!

However, I don't take away their blinds ... that's theirs!!!!

Once charges increase for rubbish then perhaps I'll have a re-think!!!

There was some word a few years ago about the van drivers picking up the old packaging and recycling it either as reusable or bulk sale by the tonnage. Nothing came of it but if charges are to be placed in the future then packaging will have to be reduced or recycled as advisor's can not be expected to foot any bills for disposal of it. Its in everyones interest to be more environmentally friendly any way and Hillary's should be taking the lead on this one by reducing the amount of cardboard and plastic.
Red

[hereticus]

royt said:

herticus....you sound like an anorak mate

I've been called a lot of things in my life, but never that.... !

Judging from the responses so far, it sounds like this subject has hit a nerve, or captured the imagination. Lets have everybody's thoughts - perhaps we can all learn from each other to be more environmentally friendly, and / or we can put pressure on the company to re-use / re-cycle more stuff.

[libra]

Like your style Bear!

[maxximus]

Always save the scrap pieces of headrails, a vert cardboard box full can net ?10 plus.

scrap metal prices are on the up (thanks to the Chinese) so next time I weigh the scrap, hopefully I may get ?12 each box.

I also offer to take customer's old headrails away, I tell them I can re-use some of the parts, dismantle the blind at home, throw away the carriers etc. weigh in the metal.

I can easily make ?120 to ?150 per year.