People in the UK where there is separate recycling, do you take your recycling bags and caddies out every week regardless of whether they're full or not?
Posted by evasive_listener@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 163 comments
Hey all,
Waste collection day today and I finally decided to ask something that puzzles me almost every week.
Is there a rule (written or unwritten) that says that you're supposed to take your recycling bags and caddies out every single week? I keep seeing people taking out bags only 1/4 or 1/3 full and I'm wondering 'why bother?' Especially during winter and autumn when they'll most likely be dripping wet when you have to take them in (through the house, at least where I live), it feels like you're making you life harder for no reason; just wait until next week when the bags are more full and save you and the collection persons the hassle!
Xivii@reddit
Garden waste goes out every fortnight (every collection) if there is anything at all in it. Recycling and general waste go out about every 3rd collection (so every 6 weeks) unless my sister has utilised my bin for her rubbish.
I just can’t be bothered sticking a bin out if I don’t need to. General waste gets bagged, and it’s not like I’m in and out of that bin so if it smells, so what.
New_Line4049@reddit
Theres no rule about it, but personally the less time rubbish is hanging around on my property the better.
yolo_snail@reddit
You get a collection every week?
We alternate between rubbish and recycling, and even then, I don't even fill either up by the time it goes out!
BrotherClive@reddit
You don't have kids, do you
yolo_snail@reddit
No, I live alone.
caniuserealname@reddit
Ours is a three week cycle now, rubbish then cardboard/paper then tins/cans/plastic/glass. Food waste is every week though.
So yeah, no point not putting it out, 3 weeks is a long time until the next time they bin gets taken.
Alarmed_Tiger5110@reddit
Recycling Weekly Blag Bag Rubbish every third week here.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
Lucky you. Ours are all four-weekly. Except glass, that's every 8 weeks.
Alarmed_Tiger5110@reddit
Wow!
People here were up in arms when they changed it from alternate weeks to recycling every week, rubbish every third week.
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
Yeah people here were up on arms too, but the objections burned out pretty quick and we just rolled.over and accepted it.
Results are as expected: huge uptick in fly-tipping.
dune__buggy@reddit
How very British of you
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
Yeah, basically we all just complain about it to our family and neighbours but reluctantly just factor in a big run to the tip every month.
devandroid99@reddit
So if I don't do it and unexpectedly have loads more waste before the next collection what do I do with it?
RetroRegretso@reddit
You can take it to tip.
fickle_tartan@reddit
If you don't have a car...?
RetroRegretso@reddit
You can walk to the tip.
Beartato4772@reddit
You can't and it's one of the bigger scandals of this country's shitty infrastructure.
RetroRegretso@reddit
I can't? But I have.
Beartato4772@reddit
I will assume you're not trolling and just tell you that, as the votes say, you have a very rare council.
Ours you can do it only if you pre-book a set time and apply for a permit in writing.
RetroRegretso@reddit
Aye, which votes?
It's the one at Eastwood, near Hebden. You can just turn up. Walk in if you want, my mate Rog did it the other day with a mattress. You're supposed to have a permit but they never ask. Wandering Turnip even did a video, have a look - YouTube
Admittedly, he had a wheelbarrow but that's still similar to walking in.
fickle_tartan@reddit
My local tips don't allow you to enter on foot.
RetroRegretso@reddit
Then you should write a letter of complaint to your local MP for when this affects you.
fickle_tartan@reddit
Ahh yes that will take care of the immediate problem of my overflowing recycling bin.
RetroRegretso@reddit
That seems incredibly unlikely.
Tattycakes@reddit
I’m sure people who do and don’t have cars will triage their recycling situation accordingly.
It’s like there’s no room for people to live their life their own way around here sometimes!
fickle_tartan@reddit
I don't know how you got to that from this comment thread? Someone was saying they always put it out in case of a potential issue the next week, and I'm giving an example of how that could be a problem for someone.
Nobody here is suggesting that everybody should do everything exactly the same way.
lankymjc@reddit
That is considerably more effort than just staying on top of the recycling throughout the week.
RetroRegretso@reddit
How so? In this case, they've had an unexpected load of waste and the tip is only next door to their house.
lankymjc@reddit
I've not seen them say the tip is right next door?
RetroRegretso@reddit
Of course, I'm not sure why they would.
lankymjc@reddit
Am I going insane? You just said the tip is next door to their house.
RetroRegretso@reddit
I'm not sure and yes I did.
devandroid99@reddit
It was a rhetorical question.
RetroRegretso@reddit
I gave you a rhetorical answer.
evasive_listener@reddit (OP)
Have been doing this (not taking recycling out every week) for a couple of years and I only remember having unexpected loads of waste maybe once or twice.
So, for me, I think it's worth the 'risk' compared to having to take 2-3 extra bags every week that might get dirty and wet.
Tattycakes@reddit
We quite frequently have a random Amazon box sitting by the back door that didn’t fit into this weeks recycling so it’s going into the next one
I’m not putting empty bins out every time on the off chance that I get some dry recycling within the following week that doesn’t fit, it just doesn’t happen that often
If it’s that awful, like all the packaging for a new appliance, we can take it to the recycling centre
audigex@reddit
I mean… I’m walking to the end of my drive anyway, what do I have to lose by pulling two bins instead of one?
It’s almost zero extra effort to put the 1/4 full bin out, but it’s extra effort to put shit in the car and drive to the tip even if I don’t end up doing it often. Why wouldn’t I choose the one with zero extra effort over the one with occasional moderate effort?
I’m a busy man, I’ll take the path of least resistance
Starboard_1982@reddit
I'd rather the rubbish was in the wheelie bin outside my house than festering in my kitchen for any longer than necessary.
I also take my recycling out every week even though it's only collected fortnightly because I can never remember which week is which.
BrotherClive@reddit
Highly recommend a couple of phone calendar events to keep on track! Saves the awkward forgetting. I also set it for just before bedtime the night before, so it also serves as a last minute reminder in case I've forgotten completely! It's the simple things......
Starboard_1982@reddit
Replying to myself - it seems there's a difference depending on your bin arrangements.
Where I live my wheelie bins are on the pavement outside my house, I don't have an alley or driveway or anything. I have to walk my rubbish, food waste and recycling through my house from my kitchen to put it in the bin. I'm not bringing anything "wet" back inside anywhere. E.g. recycling is in a box in the kitchen, it gets tipped in to my recycling bin and I bring the box back inside. I don't want to carry a bin bag through my living room that's too full in case it splits, so it goes out once a week regardless of how full it is.
prustage@reddit
There has never been a time when all my recycling containers werent full to overflowing so it is a question I have never had to ask myself.
No_Preference9093@reddit
I take the black bin out but I don’t care if I skip a recycling week now and then.
Glass_Minute4753@reddit
The only one I don't put out is the glass bin, because we never ever fill it. This has obviously concerned the bin men, as yesterday they took it out from its spot on our drive and emptied it of the five glass jars/ bottles that it contained.
Necessary_Spread_511@reddit
I rarely have even 1/3 full.
I'll put them out when they're over 1/2 full
anabsentfriend@reddit
I only put my wheelie bins out when they are full because I have a set of steps to drag them down and it's a faff.
My general waste and recycling usually go out once a month (we have fortnightly collections).
I rarely use my food waste caddy because anything I have goes in the composter
Nim008@reddit
Yes, I don't want stinky bins and a reservoir if bin juice.
Box-Of-Hats@reddit
You get bin juice with recycling?
Nim008@reddit
Food waste caddy
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
Yes.
Because... why not?
What if next week brings a lot of stuff that I need an empty bin for?
Also putting the bins out takes minutes.
theorem_llama@reddit
You get random large amounts of rubbish sometimes? I literally can't think of a time that's happened to me.
SuuperD@reddit
Your TV just broke.
theorem_llama@reddit
If it did (which would be unbelievably rare with modern TVs), I'd still be able to fit the box in the >50% empty recycling wheelie bin, because I never let it get too full.
bakingsupreme@reddit
We don't get wheely bins for recycling only these reusable square bags which are about 1/5th the size. They fill up fast
Angelicant@reddit
You’ve clearly never been to Ikea!
Conscious-Ball8373@reddit
Yep. We don't have wheelie bins, we have a couple of boxes about 1 foot by 2 feet, one for plastic and one for glass/metal. Pretty often the glass / metal one is not very full when we put it out on Monday evening ... but if we decide to have a BBQ on a Saturday just because the whether is nice, it can easily end up full of beer cans.
Likewise the plastic - if we happen to go through a lot of drinks bottles and buy more meat in trays than usual, that can easily overflow the bin if I didn't put it out the week before.
We're a fairly large household as things go (four children) so we're probably a bit more variable than most.
Little_Pink@reddit
All the time! For example: My Dad just gave me his old air fryer and in his nervousness about it surviving a short car journey he packed it in THREE huge cardboard boxes, with extra bits of cardboard between each layer. I couldn’t very well send him back with them so they went in my bin half filling it.
theorem_llama@reddit
Fair enough, never happens to me. This thread is making me realise how much e-waste and general rubbish people seem to get through.
Little_Pink@reddit
For me it’s my cardboard mountain mostly. I’ve managed to reduce a lot of single use plastic but somehow that means endless cardboard instead.
theorem_llama@reddit
I don't tend to get much cardboard, but when I do it helps having an allotment. Cardboard is great brown matter for a compost heap.
maersyl@reddit
People lead different lives and things change week in week out.
I've just moved house, so I have stacks of cardboard that's being whittled down every two weeks with the recycling. I'm also renovating, so there's all manner of rubbish.
I have a queue of things for the recycling, the tip, and the bin in the garage. I took most of the big cardboard boxes to the tip for recycling, but we now have little bits which keep piling up again when we buy what we need for the house.
It's getting there, so soon we'll be in a position where it just ebbs and flows like a tide of unwanted crap. I'll still take it out every time no matter how high or low it is because you just never know.
theorem_llama@reddit
Sure. So in that situation you'd obviously expect to need to do more recycling. I'm obviously not saying it ever happens, just that such things can pretty much always be foreseen a few weeks ahead.
Hitonatsu-no-Keiken@reddit
The black bin is emptied every 2 weeks.
The only thing I put in the black bin is the bag from the kitchen bin.
It takes 3 weeks to fill the kitchen bin.
I don't bother putting the black bin out if it only has one bag in it.
I could manage quite easily if the black bin was only collected every 3 months.
Electronic-Stay-2369@reddit
My recycling goes out in a wheelie bin so it goes out whatever, Cardboard and paper will go out in an appopriate number of boxes which they just hoy into the truck. Garden waste I make sure I fill to the brim cos I pay extra for that. I will deliberately find stuff to put in it if its a bit empty.
audigex@reddit
Our glass box only fills up about once a month, so I don’t take it out until it’s full
Our main recycling bin can be anywhere from 1/4 full to overflowing within a week because cardboard takes so much space it varies wildly. I take it out even when it’s 1/4 full because the next week it might be overflowing, so there’s no point starting 1/4 full
Black bin goes out every week regardless because it’s full of cat litter and rotting food and that’s gross
little_odd_me@reddit
We don’t get to take them out every week, sometimes it’s 2-3 weeks before the next pickup of that recycling variety. You never know what could happen in 2-3 weeks, what if I suddenly only have canned food to eat and I run out of space because I didn’t take it outlast time it was canned recycling time?
Serious_Badger_4145@reddit
Why would you want to keep hold of recycling? If theyre collecting it out out what you have
evasive_listener@reddit (OP)
Mainly because I don't need to and from saving me the hassle of taking wet bags through the house iand of having to wipe or let them dry if it's rained before I put them in their place (which unfortunately is in the house since it would be super messy to leave them outside).
Serious_Badger_4145@reddit
But surely it's more hassle having a house full of recycling? It's flammable?
I don't know. My collections are every 2 weeks so skipping one is a bloody nightmare. I suppose the answer to your question is most people don't have weekly collections and don't want a house full of recycling
Tattycakes@reddit
What’s your recycling made of, petrol??
memojo1979@reddit
We are a very low-waste household, partly because there are o ly 2 of us, as partly because we re-use a lot of stuff (cardboard boxes, paper bags, e.t.c as entertainment for our pets, and partly because I "origami" most packaging into triangles (thanks to my friend in high school showing me how to do that many years ago, and it's gradually increased to being any foldable rubbish) that actually allows reduces the rubbish down to 1/4 size or less + I squash all plastic bottles / deconstruct all cardboard boxes that arent used for the pets, which greatly reduces the volume of recycling too.
I only put any of the wheelie bins out if they are 1/2 full or more, if we haven't left them out for collection for a month, or if the standard rubbish is dirty (e.g. if it contains uneaten food, although I add most things to our bird feeding stations if okay for birds to eat, so that isn't particularly often), or if I know we're going to do a big tidy the next week (so I'd rather have a completely empty wheelie bin available).
I am very clean about anything put in the wheelie bins though (I use old postage packaging so I can double-bag general rubbish, we rinse out all plastic / metal recyclables, and we don't use the garden / food waste wheelie bin because the council decided to start charging for it a couple of years ago and we don't create enough of that waste for it to be worth paying for), so 1 of the reasons I don't just put it out every week is because I don't want neighbours to be chucking their extras in our bins (we've had non-bagged used sanitary towels and baby nappies chucked into our bin before, and the worst part was that they were put in our recycling bin, so we couldn't even just wait for collection 🤮), and also because I'm currently having bad mobility issues so I don't leave the house unless I actually need to.
Number60nopeas@reddit
I will only put the plastic and cardboard ones out if they are more than 50% full.
The food one goes out if there is just one bag inside.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
No, I have 9 possible bags, boxes, bins or buckets - if I put them all out every week then not only would it take me ages but it also wastes the workers time because they’re having to stop here when there’s no actual need to.
I usually put them out when they’re full, or looking like they’re not going to last until next collection
Jeoh@reddit
Yeah? Why wouldn't I?
theorem_llama@reddit
Why would you?
seriousrikk@reddit
Because things happen that could result in either the next collection being missed or more stiff than the bin can hold.
No good reason to have waste sitting around longer than it needs to be.
theorem_llama@reddit
Fair enough, that's not happened to me though, we don't seem to ever get an unexpected extra amount to throw out. I guess you're right that in the summer, it's probably best to get the general rubbish out asap because of smell (but that doesn't apply to recycling, which goes out cleaned). But when it's colder, we've never had issues just leaving it an extra cycle and do so quite a lot. Maybe helps we don't eat meat and compost quite a bit, veg peels etc., so there's very little we need to throw away that'd really smell too awful.
SarkyMs@reddit
But the collection could always be missed /forgotten then you could have 6 weeks of recycling.
Flash__PuP@reddit
For recycling it only takes one excessively packaged large item to fill a bin.
thatguysaidearlier@reddit
Exactly. Bin 1/3 full this time. But I might have 100% content for the next pickup. I now have 130% so that 30% will have to sit around or I have to go to the tip.
I pay to have my bin emptied. Not only full bins emptied. Don't give the council any ideas!
theorem_llama@reddit
Sure, but for many of us that literally never happens.
thatguysaidearlier@reddit
OK. Then don't put it out every week. No big deal.
It happens regularly for me. So I do.
No one is forcing anyone to do anything.
theorem_llama@reddit
Great observation. Would be interesting if someone had said anything to the contrary.
lankymjc@reddit
This conversation is fascinating. The tone reads like an argument but you’re actually just laying out your experiences.
Evening-Tour@reddit
This, some weeks theres not much, but I get it emptied as the next day the wife has 20 Amazon boxes and I have a guitar box to get rid of, even shredding cardboard can make it all a difficult fit.
Jeoh@reddit
It's nice to have a routine.
theorem_llama@reddit
It's also nice to not need to bother with a task every so often if there's literally no need to do it.
Jeoh@reddit
I don't think I've ever had a week where I haven't at least had some rubbish or recycling to put in my bin. Nevermind the weekly food waste.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
So you don't have manky old recycling sitting around the house a fortnight is my main motivation.
theorem_llama@reddit
Firstly, recycling is supposed to be cleaned. Secondly, I'm not saying to leave it in the house. Like most people, my interior bins are smaller. I empty those into wheelie bins outside. I'm just talking about not bothering to wheel those out to the street if they're nowhere near full.
I now realise that, for some people, the recycling is stored in a bag in their house. In that case, I get your point.
terryjuicelawson@reddit
It is cleaned but you can't exactly scrub the inside of everything, especially things like packets meat came in, it will always fester a little. So that then goes outside, that then gets put out on recycling day. I am utterly baffled that it is even a consideration not to unless there is literally a single small item in there or something. The people collecting it is their job, they dump it in the lorry without a thought.
imnotabotimafreeman@reddit
no i dont put it out for collection if its not full, just creating more work for someone. Its stored in tubs in my back garden and can stay there until its full
GanacheAffectionate@reddit
I put them out every time. If it’s really really windy, and it isn’t full then I’ll skip.
Goatsandducks@reddit
Sometimes we don't if there's literally nothing in it but with the smelly stuff like the green bin and the black bin with all our kids nappies in it then yes. The paper bin if it's pretty much empty we might leave it.
PurpleOctopus6789@reddit
Food rots. If my food caddie is only 1/3 full, I am still going to take it out because I am not keeping rotting food in my house for another week. But also, just because it's 1/3 full doesn't mean I won't have guests over and suddenly it won't be overflowing next week. It takes 5 second to take it out.
The same goes for recycling. If it's 1/3 full, it's out. if it's just a water bottle, it stays. I am not going to keep rubbish in my house longer than necessary. Even if you keep it outside, it's a waste of space.
Also, I hate limits on black bags, it doesn't take into account how much stuff is not recyclable and that people have cats who use litter boxes. One council literally suggested people to use more expensive litter you could flush (questionable) which apparently is more eco friendly than wood pellets which is just BS. I have seen people take their little black bags to town bins in those places. Luckily, it's not a thing where I live. Yet.
evasive_listener@reddit (OP)
Totally agree with food waste, which is why I take it out every week, even if it has a single green bag in it and even though it's kept outside.
But the big canvas bags for seperated recycling feel too much hassle and mess to be taken out every week, especially if it's rainy or windy. We store the two main ones (cardboard and plastic/metal) in a big storage unit so the space they take is the same whether they're empty or full, so I guess it also has to do with your 'setup'?
PurpleOctopus6789@reddit
I suppose it does. Where I live, we don't use those canvas bags, plastic and cardboard is together in a clear recycling bag which they take. Glass is in a plastic box which they empty and leave next to your food caddie. Those big canvas bags should not be a thing, they're too much hassle when it rains and it's windy.
We should rely more on continental European set up where we have more communal bins we can use to recycle.
filbert94@reddit
Yes. Except when I forget.
Absentmined42@reddit
No, because I’m lazy and I can’t be bothered some weeks when there’s hardly anything.
lankymjc@reddit
Our rubbish and recycling are each in a wheelie bin that live at the end of the drive, and they alternate which one is taken each week. So each week I’ll fill whichever one is being collected. Better than having stuff lying around the house.
charlottedoo@reddit
Nah, if it’s less than half full we just wait until the next collection.
KrozJr_UK@reddit
The paper and card bag is usually full, so I always take that one out. The plastic and tins box is usually half-full so I take it out, just in case next week we have a lot and so it starts overflowing. As a four-person household, I think the largest quantity of glass we’ve ever thrown out in one week is three items (a bottle and two jars), and some weeks there’s no glass at all, so that one gets put out semi-infrequently.
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
I always ensure my bins are as full as possible so I get at least some perceived value from my council tax.
Draigwyrdd@reddit
I don't put mine out every week. I put them out when they're reasonably full, which is sometimes every fortnight.
ununpentium89@reddit
Yes, I do. Because some weeks my bins arent collected, I'm guessing the refuse collectors get behind on time or something. So I never skip putting anything out in case the following time they don't collect and I'm overflowing!
1968Bladerunner@reddit
Nope - wait 'til the bins are full. CBA dragging them out with a wee layer of stuff on the bottom, then having to brick the lid down to stop the bin blowing over 'cos it's so light.
ShineAtom@reddit
Recycling goes out for the fortnightly collection because it probably won't manage a month otherwise.
Food waste - weekly, introduced just three weeks ago - goes out every week because who needs stinky food waste hanging around no matter how much is there.
Garden waste goes out when I have filled the bin. Should have done that over the last fortnight but didn't get round to bramble control unfortunately. Fortnightly collection. Also it is an additional cost now.
Black bin - landfill - is collected fortnightly. Sometimes it doesn't need collecting more than once a month and I could probably stretch it to at least six or eight weeks. I do try to put it out at least every four weeks because who knows if there will be a snow day or some other issue. I may be doing some serious chucking out in the next week although much of it is either going to be recycled, repurposed or donated. But for those things to which none of that applies, it's off to to landfill. And yes, I do feel bad about it.
underwater-sunlight@reddit
I wouldn't want my rubbish/recycling sat around at home for longer than it needed to be and I can have a fortnight where the big bins have space and the next they are full and I leave a box of organised, clean, neat recycling next to the bin for Serco to ignore despite the council confirming they will take additional recycling
mbgameshw@reddit
We have 8 recycling boxes - 2 for glass, 2 for cardboard and 2 for plastics- and two food bins. Collected fortnightly and always full (more wine bottles than I would like to admit. In Devon.
Ill-Opportunity8918@reddit
We have a general waste bin, glass and plastic, cardboard and paper and they get collected every Wednesday in rotation. By week 3 they are all at least half full so ready for emptying.
SpudFire@reddit
I only do if it's half full or more.
But I live in a terraced house with no side gate and no place out front for the bins, so putting the bins out is a bit of a trek around the back for me.
RetiredFromIT@reddit
Like many areas (I think), when we had mixed recycling, the waste bin and recycle bin alternated every week, and both bins were reasonably full.
Then they split card and paper into a separate bin, the 4 week cycle is now:
Household waste
Card Recycling
Household waste
Other Recycling
My card bin is always full (thank you Amazon), but the other recycling - bottles, jars, plastic containers - never is.
So quite often, when it is the time for the other recycling, I think "It's less than a quarter full, I can't be bothered."
But I always put out the waste, because that would be nadty, otherwise.
evasive_listener@reddit (OP)
Makes total sense to me. Well, with the only difference that we don't have bins for most things (apart from the food caddy and one for glass), but some big plastic-y bags.
Food waste goes out every week and at least one black bag of waste every 3 weeks (out of the two we're allowed to).
RetiredFromIT@reddit
We got food caddies just this month, and that now goes out every week.
I was surprised at the amount of food waste I get through (only peels and trimmings, not whole items), and also how much of it was tea leaves and coffee grounds!
Moist_gooch90@reddit
I don't and it doesn't seem as though the majority of my neighbours do either. I noticed my house and most neighbours will put out the paper/cardboard out every week. But glass bottles/cans don't seem to go out too often on our street.
Beartato4772@reddit
Why wouldn't you? It's literally 10 seconds work in most houses.
Do you have sentimental attachment to the rubbish that you'd like it to stick around?
Lessarocks@reddit
My food goes out every week but my other two don’t go out until they are almost full. There is nothing in them that will spoil or smell so I don’t see the point in creating extra work for the bin men t empty containers with very little in them
ProfessorYaffle1@reddit
It depends.
I tend to put the food waste caddy out evey week because if I leave it longer, the biodegradeable bags start to dissolve and you end up with melly liquid in the botom on the caddy, and even though it lives outside I'd rather not deal with that .
(We have a little caddy which you can keep inside and a alarger one to empty the little one into and, which goes out for the bin men. In terms of volume I only 'need' to empyty it about once a month)
Recycling and wasste it depends on how close to being full it is, what the weather is like when I'm thinking of putting it out, whether I am expecting to have visitors, or be out myself the following week.
Wher I am, Black bins (general waste) gets collected once evey three weeks
food waste and recycling get collected every week
Garden waste is a susbscription service and is once a fortnight
This wee, I only put my food waste and the paper, card and plastic boxes out - I hadn't got anythng in the black bincouldn't be bothers going round and emtying the kitchen bin and waste paper baskets, and I know that I'll still have plenty of room by the tim the next collection is due in 3 weeks.
I haven't put my glass/cartons box ou for about 2 months as there's only 1 jam jar and a couple of bbeer bottles in it.
Paper, card and plastics go out more often as bying milk and fruit juice mean I have plastic boottles, but it would not be an issue for me if I missed a collection or two
Frosty_Customer_9243@reddit
Every single time as there is no guarantee there will be a collection next time.
Sxn747Strangers@reddit
Why?
The next time it might not just be full, it might be overflowing.
SeaIntelligent4504@reddit
No. I usually put my bin out when it's full (or starting to get heavy) - that might not be for several months.
PaulSpangle@reddit
I don't put the paper and plastic recycling out if it's raining or windy. We've got those big canvas recycling bags that blow away when they're empty so I just leave it for the following week. They're absolutely massive, so I could probably get away with only putting them out once a month!
We barely use any glass so that goes out once or twice a year.
Food goes every week because its caddy is in no danger of blowing away and food waste is horrible enough after one week, so I'm not leaving it for a second week.
geeered@reddit
I don't... but a lot of people may well have smaller recycling bins in their kitchen and don't want their bigger recycling bag sitting around half full taking up space.
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
Always with general waste (every other week) but not always with recycling. Recycling bins are only collected once a month though (well, twice a month but they're two different bins), so if I'm pretty sure there won't be enough space for the next month's recycling, I'll need to put the relevant bin out even if it's not full. Usually my paper/cardboard bin needs to go out every time or at least every other time but the metal/glass one fills up much more slowly and I can go a few months without needing to put it out. Just me and some cats in the house though and I am lazy.
We're only just getting food recycling caddies this summer, which is crazy because the other places I've lived have had them for over a decade, but that will definitely be going out every time.
Pedantichrist@reddit
Normally yes. I have two black wheely bins though, and only take the full one.
WILKOFL@reddit
Yes. Because they only come every two weeks for the recycling and normal waste on a rotation. It's a joke in the summer, household waste sat there for a fortnight in the bin. Gotta take it out reagrdless of how full it is. Luckily we don't pay much council tax so it can be forgiven.... Oh wait...
DigitalStefan@reddit
No. Pointless to create unnecessary work for the recycling collection gang. If they have to stop and collect a recycling box that is one tenth full, that’s a waste of time.
Fill them up and put them out when needed.
theorem_llama@reddit
It's really be better if it was like a lot of Europe, where there are larger communal bins (usually underground).
DigitalStefan@reddit
This would be great. We’re stuck though because unless this requirement is written into law, home building projects will only do the minimum required and that means not making sure to route underground cabling, piping and sewers in such a way to leave room for an underground storage for recycling and rubbish system.
InternationalSun2342@reddit
I have a bin shed at the end of the drive. I never have to remember to put the bins out! I take the recycling or rubbish bag with me if I am off out.
thecoop_@reddit
If the bin isn’t full, it’s not going out
CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit
No rule. However, I do it anyway because it can be unpredictable and they don't pick it up if it's "over full". So Why not spend about 20 seconds taking it out?
But you do you.
Latter-Corner8977@reddit
Besides garden waste all my recycling and general waste bins are overflowing come collection day. Council refuse to give extra bins.
ChanceHovercraft1754@reddit
I always just take it out because im leaving the house anyway and I can grab it and leave it there without any extra effort.
I could see how if you had like a bin store or something that might be annoying, but almost all bins near me are just out the side of the house, you are walking past anyway.
SuuperD@reddit
Smell
DameKumquat@reddit
I don't want food waste rotting on my doorstep or kitchen counter, so that goes every week.
The recycling bin is full more often than not, so I always put it out. Even if it were only half full, what if I got more recycling the next week?
evasive_listener@reddit (OP)
Yeah, food waste goes out for me every week too even if it has a single bag in it. Same for thin plastics since it's a decent amount every week.
Added some more info and clarifications to my post.
Frequent_Flyer_Miles@reddit
I think the safest and most sensible rule here is, think ahead, and also try and be helpful..
Think, is it gonna get full before the next bin day, if not, no, leave it where it is.. If it's too close to call or reasonably full then yes, that's obvious, put it out. But don't just put it out because it's bin day if it's not necessary.
The person emptying the bins will go through quite a few actions that morning and they're very busy people so I bet they'd appreciate you giving them less work to do by emptying a barely filled bin.
This is why we have refuse centres, if the bin starts to get too full, you can always take a trip in the car, who doesn't love a good tip run?
BG3restart@reddit
If people did that, the Council would most likely decide that collections could be even more infrequent than they are currently and those with big families and a lot of waste would be hugely inconvenienced. I live alone and could probably go for several weeks without issue, but already a couple of my neighbours have had to get a second recycling bin. If collections were even less frequent, their whole garden would be taken up with bins. I put my bin out every week if I'm not away on holiday.
Morganx27@reddit
Ours only get collected every 3 weeks (one week recycling, one week paper and garden, one week general) so I always take it out regardless or it'll be festering for another 3 weeks.
whyy_i_eyes_ya@reddit
I wouldn’t know, in Birmingham we haven’t had recycling collected for about 16 months! Occasionally walk the wheelie bin down to the mobile collection centre when it shows up!
annies999@reddit
We have fortnightly collections of each so waste goes out every time, it's usually full by then but even if not, it goes out because of the smell. With recycling, because both mine and my downstairs neighbours bins were both going out half empty we decided to share the one bin to save effort for us both and for the collecters.
Rubberfootman@reddit
I also but the general waste bin out only 1/4 full. I don’t want stuff festering in there for a month.
LazyEmu5073@reddit
I sometimes go 6 weeks before putting it out. What's festering in there?!
Chemical-Mouse-9903@reddit
The only bins that aren’t full for me when I put them out for the bin men is the glass/plastic/metal bin which we only half fill over three weeks and the garden/food waste bin that gets barely anything in it in the winter months, but they go out every time their due apart from the later, which the bin men don’t even collect over the Christmas New Year period
terryjuicelawson@reddit
I don't if there is only a couple of things, I don't tend to get much glass for example and I can wash it all out. But I'm taking any food, plastic or cans out every week sure to stop it getting full the week after and to stop it being pongy. What ends up dripping wet exactly? The boxes stay outside, I put the recycling in it and it goes. The collection people don't seem to mind, better than taking overstuffed ones I assume.
bowak@reddit
I've got 2 wheelie bins for my recycling so they normally only need taking out every third fortnight or so. I always put them out if they get above 2/3rds full, or for the paper/cardboard one if I'm planning to get any furniture etc where I know there'll be a lot to go in it plus I always put them both out no matter how little is in for the collection before Christmas for the same reason.
But if they're less than half full I don't see the point as they are clean waste and why make extra work for the binmen if I don't have to.
Dranask@reddit
There’s always the week they miss it. So I take it out at every due time.
theorem_llama@reddit
I often don't bother. We cook with a lot of vegetables and compost a lot, so sometimes only need to do the recycling once in a month, and similarly for general waste. I don't really get the people saying "why not?", I can't think of any time where we've unexpectedly had a whole bunch of extra rubbish needing to be thrown out.
Ornery-Wasabi-1018@reddit
We've just had a seismic shift in bin collections here.
The recycling now goes every week. I've tried not putting out recycling this week. We've gone from 1 bag for all recycling, collected fortnightly to 2 bags collected weekly. Im thinking shove everything out the week that everything goes, and nothing out the week that's just recycling (we compost, so not doing food waste right now). Saves me a job once a fortnight!
icabod88@reddit
Yep,
The black bins are taken every two weeks. One week, some twat parked badly at the end of the road, so the bin lorry couldn't make it down the street, so nothing was collected, so that could mean a month without a collection if they weren't able to reschedule
Plus the bins stay in the front garden, so there's no need to drag them anywhere
donkey-oh-tea@reddit
Generally our cans dont fill in one week, but would overflow in 2 weeks. They go out every week.
Plastics do fill each week (toddler drinks a lot of milk and im too lazy to compress everything) so they go out each week.
Glass goes out when full - once a month normally.
Inevitable-Debt4312@reddit
Stuff smells. Get rid of it.
Gullible_fool_99@reddit
Yes. If there is stuff for the people to collect it goes out for collection.
After-Huckleberry580@reddit
Ours are every other week so we always put them out.
UniquePotato@reddit
It’s alternate weeks, but yes, its usually about 2/3s full
Laescha@reddit
The general waste always goes out as otherwise it will start to smell. Paper recycling is usually full by collection day, but glass/plastic is rarely even 1/3 full so I only put it out a few times a year (normal collection is every 4 weeks for the two types of recycling)
Savvymundo@reddit
All my general waste and recycling goes in wheelie bins. I don't see it as "making life hard" for myself by wheeling them the 10 yards to the pavement on bin day regardless of how full they are.
soapyjoe59@reddit
I don't have recycling bags , we are on 4 different bins collected every 3 weeks. I don't put recycling out every time sometimes my bins aren't full so they don't go out .
SnoopyLupus@reddit
The frequency, types and bins for collection vary hugely council to council.
For my area, we get recycling collected from a green wheelie bin every 2 weeks. I don’t generate that much waste so I leave it 4 or 6 weeks.
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
Yeah, it takes me a good two or three two-week cycles of our bin schedule to fill the tins and glass one, so I don't bother putting it out every time. The cardboard and the food bins definitely go out regardless.
RetroRegretso@reddit
No I don't but I do it to create hassle for the collection person, as just before Christmas she told me it's harder work when the bags are more full. She also said she takes great joy in knowing that I have to take them through the house while they're dripping wet.
Mumstheword76@reddit
Nope. Green bin every alternate week as normal but blue bin (recycling glass/plastic) tends to only go out monthly along with the brown bin.
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