Dear Mr Pickles

Well, sir.  You've stirred it up again this time!   Like Father Christmas bringing the promise of happiness to the masses, dropping down our chimneys weekly to empty our overflowing rubbish bins!

Nice one!

Oh stuff any chance of this being an erudite post.  I haven't got time for that. Instead I'll just say it as it is.

The weekly rubbish collection bribe that your department has announced amounts to nothing but backtracking on any other forms of common sense that has come out of this year's Waste Review, especially with regard to encouraging greater recycling rates.

Today's media talks about treating the public with respect.  How about treating us with intelligence as well as  respect and not just a herd of sheep who will welcome your proposals with a happy bleat.

Our country would not have a problem with overflowing rubbish bins if manufacturers designed out unecessary packaging\product waste and the government invested in proper nationwide recycling infrastructure of mixed plastics.  Really, I cannot believe that we are in 2011 and the majority of the UK can't recycle a bloody yoghurt pot! 

Voters complain about smelly food waste hanging around for a fortnight.  I empathise.  So did I a few years ago and to honest, it's not nice!  But I did something about it.  I followed the advice of www.lovefoodhatewaste.com and even though I'm still not the picture of perfection, most weeks are better than others.  Yes I've had a blimmin' good stab at not creating the waste in the first place and saved a small fortune, thanks to listening to some common sense.

Of course my best advice for your Chicken Tikka Masala test, is instead of letting it become fodder for flies stinking out your bin, cut down your order at your local Indian or invite some friends around and get them to share it.

It's hardly rocket science.

But recycling is...needing well designed  innovations and scaleable solutions that can serve communities and support our economy.

That's where our money should be going Mr Pickles, to actually help provide solutions that wouldn't create the problem of overflowing or stinky bins.  Separate out that food waste and if the councils don't have the infrastructure to collect the caddies weekly, invest in community projects that can, by creating new jobs and feeding the revenues back into the communities themselves. 

There are even solutions in the UK for now recycling nappies and other absorbant waste products, that you could throw some of your money towards or better funded campaigns to support washables.

What's that old saying?  Rubbish In Rubbish Out! Well that's what this country's going to keep getting unless policy and investment change in line with the sustainable future this country and the global society needs.

Today's statement was far too broadbrush. Yes there will be councils that will value the funds, and this money should be used to support and develop the infrastructure in those areas that it's needed, even if it's in certain enclaves of a local authority's collection area, but please don't consider it as a single opportunity for all.  Not all of us want to go back to the dark ages.

Personally, I think this is a lot of fuss about nothing and if one good thing's come of it, there will be much chatter about rubbish as people debate the other solutions that are out there.

Yours sincerely,

Almost Mrs Average!

______________________________________________________________

As it's a Friday, I thought I'd dedicate this post to Kat's "Dear So and So" feature at Three Bedroom Bungalow.