Recycling, Portugese style

[tonicha]

yesterday, I took down to the communal bins various items, as in empty paint tins, coat-hangers, manky camping type chair, various plastic and clay pots, plywood, a very old jacket of Grumpy's.

Everything went.

This morning, I've taken down 5 plants in pots.

I actually gave two of the plants to women who were waiting there

[Osc]

Over here, it is skips Years ago, Mr Osc got permission from someone who had a skip to put in some old gardening implements, so he put them in very early on a Sunday morning when the skip was actually empty. Literally as he was walking back up the road, a woman drove up in a van climbed into the skip, took it all and drove off

Last month sometime, the man across the road got a skip and we asked if we could put one item on it, the metal frame of a seagrass set of drawers - we kept the drawers as they fit perfectly on the shelves in our bedroom. Mr Osc was going out and we joked that it would be gone by the time he got home - and he had hardly arrived at the golf club when I texted to say it was gone! Why not....if someone can make use of these things, they may as well.

[tonicha]

woman drove up in a van climbed into the skip, took it all and drove off

[Kaz]

I'm all for it, much better than it going to waste

[Weka]

We have/had (not yet sure about this year) a yearly inorganic rubbishy collection by the council. When it's your areas turn, you put your rubbish on the curb over the weekend and during the next week the council collects it. During that time, your free to pick over other people's piles.

I've got additional chairs for my dinning suite which just needed a jolly good clean, my dads cleaning up a bike for Sasha, I've got s sandpit for the kids, and a trike, which I recycled back on the heap when they had outgrown it.

I say had at the beginning, as we have but had one this year and the council is trialling a ring for collect system. to that I say. Where's the recycling opportunities?

[meriad]

Germany do the same Weka. Years back it was every two months or so but now it's either twice or just once a year. Same as with you, one puts anything unwanted onto the pavement and it's about 12 hours before the council collects it for either recycling, reusing or refusse. But in that time you can go and help yourself if you want. Same as you - many a couple starting out furnished most of their houses that way. My brother and his wife picked up a perfectly good lounge suite for the downstairs TV / kids room.

Over here, you take things to the dump and then if there is anything still usable you put it in an allocated spot and people can help themselves - but most people just can't be bothered and chuck everything. Such as wasteful society sadly

[Diflower]

Our local tip is far more efficient
As soon as you take stuff in they are spotting what's ok and what's not.
Anything not dump-worthy is immediately rescued; they have a whole sales area, indoors and out.
That's where we bought our garden chairs

[meriad]

that's the way it should really work Di, but the tip I go to there just aren't enough people to monitor what is being thrown away, and it all gets chucked into large huge containers from quite a height, esp if they're empty. Not much chance of little damage to items

[Kaz]

Di, I think that's great, and I wish all councils would do the same!