You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Not so long ago you could offer the guys at the tip a few quid for stuff - like old bikes, fire extinguishers, broken appliances or vacuum cleaners etc. I need some spare parts for an old Dyson, and thought the massive pile of 100+ vacuum cleaners at the tip would be a good place to get them. Apparently members of the public are not allowed to take anything away from the tip now, reason being 'some people have been flogging stuff on eBay'. I didn't argue with the bloke, rules are rules, but wondering if it's worth a letter to the council to ask why. What's the problem with an enterprising fixer-upper making a few quid and saving stuff from landfill? Perhaps the council sells them on in bulk perhaps? Any ideas?
Also, any ideas on where to get a free/almost free old Dyson from would be appreciated...
The real question is why should the guys at the tip/enterprising fixer-upper make a few quid for something that has been dumped?
Legally it's the property of the local authority and therefore the tax payer, so if there's a value on that bit of kit then it should go back into the LA's pocket.
Apparently members of the public are not allowed to take anything away from the tip now, reason being 'some people have been flogging stuff on eBay
You'd be surprised how much the erks someone who is throwing something away - its a sentiment often expressed on here- people deliberately ruin stuff that they are throwing away for fear that someone they look down on might find value it it . They seem to feel that by virtue of someone having the imagination to realise a use or purpose for it that they've somehow been stolen from.
The council should be actively trying to stop anything going to landfill that doesn't have to, so rather than bar the reuse of stuff they should work out a way that it can be managed properly.
There are plenty of examples (the first one I saw [url= http://moraywastebusters.org ]was in Forres)[/url] of recycling charities being given space to operate in council waste sites. When Joe Public comes with their boot load of crap they have to option to offer to give the charity first refusal instead of put it in the skip.
My tip has never allowed me to take stuff (I only wanted an old tyre, nothing of value). Said it was against rules.
Yeah been like that for years it's just sometimes they turn a blind eye.
Apparently members of the public are not allowed to take anything away from the tip now, reason being 'some people have been flogging stuff on eBay'
What they didn't say was that by 'some people' he meant him and his mates, and by 'not allowed to' he meant they had no plans of letting you muscle in on the act 😀
It's hard for the council to be seen to be fair to everyone. The tip worker may sell stuff to his mate, instead of you, so you get annoyed, and before you know it they have to run sealed bid auctions for stuff.
Much easier to sell everything to a single contractor and ban everyone else.
Mate got a Carrera Virtuoso for nowt from the tip last week. He needed a new bike & it rides fine. Couldn't believe someone just chucked it! Sounds like he got v lucky.
Talk nicely to the people who work there then bribe them to soften their stance further ... 😆
I mean who the hell keep track of all the rubbish?
Do they issue receipts to people who throw out their rubbish there?
Do they have accountants to stock check if something is missing?
Ya, taking about someone who enforce rules like if they are so honest. 🙄
My local one has CCTV covering the gates (for scum leaving stuff at the closed gates at night) and CCTV covering the skips (for during the day).
No idea if it's centrally or locally monitored, but they won't let you take stuff and point out the CCTV if you ask.
I always assumed that them handing over electrical and other bits etc to randoms without checking them over first for dangerous faults would make them liable if it later burned someone's house down.
As it has been disposed of its a waste and legally they are not able to give it to you much less have you 'bribe/induce' them to do otherwise. They, their employers and the council (if they arent the same) are acting illegally by letting you take it unless it's specifically from a reuse area. But other than that.
The EA and waste duty of care has no defence, if it happened you are guilty and will be fined.chewkw - Member
Talk nicely to the people who work there then bribe them to soften their stance further ...
I mean who the hell keep track of all the rubbish?
Not to householders because they are different but everybody else yes and it has to be retained for a fair few years.
Do they issue receipts to people who throw out their rubbish there?
Depending on how bad it is then yes maybe, certainly have recommended clients install CCTV to prevent theft from sites and dismissed staff who have been involved in what essentially amounts to theft and fraud.
Do they have accountants to stock check if something is missing?
Liability says it all .
Try local freecycle sites ,post a request .
Ours lets you take stuff but they charge a few quid. However, electricals and possibly parts from electricals, they won't allow. Probably for the same reason charity shops won't accept electricals. Not sure why, its only a basic PAT test I would have thought so you'd think the charity shops would accept stuff that has enough value to be worth it.
I'm one of the blokes that works at the local tip and can confirm its against company rules to sell or let the public have it ,its a sackable offence as classes as gross misconduct,once its inside council tipping bin's then its their property ,we have cameras all over the place keeping a eye out for such things 🙁
Sad to say some good stuff goes to waste
Best not tell my local tip.
We are a kayak (Big Dog creek boat...) and three kids bikes up.
They are not meant to, so the day I could not quite reach the Thule roof bars and four bike racks, they stopped me from 'fishing' with a lump of wood. 🙁
Ours lets you take stuff but they charge a few quid. However, electricals and possibly parts from electricals, they won't allow. Probably for the same reason charity shops won't accept electricals. Not sure why, its only a basic PAT test I would have thought so you'd think the charity shops would accept stuff that has enough value to be worth it.
Lots of charity shops accept (and test) and sell electrical goods.
Ours takes out stuff that has value and resells it on site.
It helps if you know the people who work at the tip 🙂
Does that mean stumpy's about to be flooded with messages to his profile email? 😉
What model Dyson? I have a DC 04 with a busted hose if you can use it, or a part of it.
Not for flogging on the classifieds, though.
Our local tip has a hospice shop on site. There's a lot of stuff donated straight to them and some of the half decent stuff that comes in goes there as well.
It works very well.
Ours is now run by Shanks. When it was council run it became ridiculous how many "recyclers" we're queued up in their beaten up old Transits waiting for people dumping stuff and offering to help you empty your boot/van/trailer 🙄 As others have said cctv has now put a stop to this and there seems to be a regular turn over of staff and no "goodies" getting stashed behind skips 😉
On my last visit to the tip to finally throw out an old 21inch CRT PC monitor amongst other things, the chap next to me asked if he could have it. I said no problem , and he lifted it out of my boot. The tip gestapo virtually dived on him and told us we couldn't do that . The guy wanting the monitor said perhaps we should do this outside the tip. I stood my ground and said no it's nothing to do with them . Couldn't believe the lip I got off the operative, although he did back down a bit when I asked him his name so I could discuss his behaviour with his area manager next time I saw him.
Also, any ideas on where to get a free/almost free old Dyson from would be appreciated..
Took an old Dyson crap vacumn down to the tip asked the chap which skip to throw the thing into, electricals, hard plastic , general waste etc, he said we have a special skip just for dysons we have so many.
as for liability,worked at a hospital grindstone we used, getting replaced asked to buy it, told ok but the cable will be cut off to save you using it, in case you injure yourself, been using grindstones since 16, and same one for last 5 years.
The tip by me has a whole area of stuff for sale. Anything from bikes to beds. They only charge a couple of quid for a boot full. One worker told me it's beer money.
Ours will throw a wobbler if you even glance at anything. Nothing gets sold, it all gets crushed on site by a 360 with crushing roller so no value can ever be gained from the goods.
It's a real shame.
andysredmini - MemberThe tip by me has a whole area of stuff for sale. Anything from bikes to beds. They only charge a couple of quid for a boot full. One worker told me it's beer money.
Good on them.
Good community spirit which is much better than some of the other tight fist workers elsewhere ...
Try wearing something short and tight
Different principle, over here in Tasmania you go through a depot/shed where you can drop off anything that could be recycled/resold (furniture etc.) hald full paint tins and all that. Then you go to dump the unreclaimable stuff. You are charged by weight for the stuff that you dump. The other stuff gets sorted and put into the recycle shop where you can pick stuff up dirt cheap. Great for shed/garage furniture etc.
Think they are run as charities also, less to landfill, access to cheap stuff for people. Great idea.
Different principle, over here in Tasmania you go through a depot/shed where you can drop off anything that could be recycled/resold (furniture etc.)
Same here, there's a second treasures shop before the weigh bridge where you can drop stuff off that might be of some value. You save dollah on the weight, council sells it on to other folk at dirt cheap prices. Everyone's a winner.
[img] 
[/img]
On a related note we also have to pay for our rubbish bags, $2.50 each so just over a quid. Massive incentive to recycle then as they pick that up for free. My british parents had a fit when they visited mind so I don't know if it'd catch on back home!
I am surprised your local councils are landfilling still. Ours(stirling) and most ones in scotland are full recycle centres. Everything is seperated and recycled. It means 5 bins at home too.
My british parents had a fit when they visited mind so I don't know if it'd catch on back home!
I remember living near Liverpool where the street had bins overflowwing with cardboard etc. and empty recycling bins they all complained they needed bigger bins.. All in the mindset, people will think of 10 reasons why not before considering how easy it would be.
You are charged by weight for the stuff that you dump.
I can imagine the outcry now. "I PAY MY COUNCIL TAX!!!!!1!!1!ONE!"
Seems fair, everything possible goes to charity in our house if nobody else wants it, it's just a waste otherwise.
I am surprised your local councils are landfilling still. Ours(stirling) and most ones in scotland are full recycle centres. Everything is seperated and recycled. It means 5 bins at home too.
NAC has 3 bins, one for landfill, one for bio (inlcuding food) and one for everything else but polystyrene. Kerbside charge for uplifts though but the scrap fairy makes a killing.
Our economy relies on people constantly upgrading every year/other year. I loath going to the tip, probably 3 times a year with a build up. A vacant refurb house at the top of our road had a new built in cooker fitted. The tradesman left the old one outside the house. I put it back on the drive. Previously it was a box full of pipes, cloth, rubbish. I don't want to go into the ins and outs of scrap collectors, the tradesman should be sorting his own crap not leaving it for X days on a pavement..
^ True, we've had problems with rogue landlords just dumping piles of crap in the street and not getting it shifted but it's really not the same thing.
On topic why should you be able to take from the tip? It's be a H&S nightmare, rummaging through white goods, no idea what works, a little bit of rain earlier in the day on goods, dries you then think of this looks good, doesn't work so you make a trip back.. Plus how many scrap metal hunters would load up? Safer for all just to have a black and white rule.
Pretty sure most of the stuff in our recycling bin ends up in landfill, will oil prices so low, no one will be buying low grade recycled plastic pellets as they will cost more than new ones.
Our local tip has a corner of the yard with various bit of furniture/stuff for sale priced up by the tip employees.
There's a dedicated sales area at the Exeter tip, great for dsyon tools etc http://www.broadclyst.org/index.php/broadclyst-news/item/954-new-waste-and-recycling-centre-for-pinhoe-exeter
The Dyson is claimed.
Once again STW helps save the planet.
We always laugh how "helpful" the staff are, when you pull in, with something decent to dump
At the sites most reluctant to allow anyone to take anything, you will usually find a couple of flatbed or white luton transits pulling in empty just before gates close on a sunday.
& going away full.
Not a criticism btw, crap job - crap pay, a bit of beer money probably helps