How Full is Your Bin?

The BBC reported yesterday that Cheshire East Council have unanimously agreed to consult the public on a proposal to leave bins up to three weeks between collections. The council, who are on the brink of effective bankruptcy, are planning a public consultation about waste collection because of a proposal for weekly food-waste collections imposed upon them by the previous government. So this week they decided to include an additional proposal to help save costs by collecting bins every three weeks instead of fortnightly. As more and more councils struggle to stretch budgets to cover the functions they can’t avoid, it seems like householders are going to have to get used to finding other ways to get rid of junk and rubbish.

In your household, do your bins get full long before collection day? Are you the first in your street to get the right coloured bin out? Or does your family get it wrong or get the right bin out too late? Either way, you end up having to squeeze through a whole month without a collection. Imagine if that was actually six weeks!

So, what can you dispose of?

Every council has different rules and instructions, and it’s really hard to work out how we’re meant to throw things away. Cheshire East have already withdrawn garden waste collections (unless residents pay a subscription), and you are not allowed to put garden waste in the general waste bins. And you can’t use it for anything that could be recycled either. So what can you throw in the regular bin?

● Food waste, animal waste, pet litter and pet bedding
● Tissues, face-wipes, masks and face-coverings
● Broken glass or drinking glasses - apparently they can’t be recycled with jars
● Ceramics - plates, mugs, vases - and cutlery
● Cling film, bubble-wrap and anything with glitter on it
● Coffee pods, crisp packets, toothpaste tubes, photographs
● Hard plastics, plant pots, pens, toys & polystyrene

They recommend that larger items such as artificial Christmas trees, kitchenware, large toys are taken to the local household waste recycling centre instead. Presumably this is so they don’t fill your bin up. Furthermore, you can save space in the black bin by taking certain types of rubbish to a recycling point at a shop, restaurant or institution (i.e. soft plastics and plastic films, batteries, plastic bags or any packaging with the 'don't recycle me at home' stamp). You can find your closest recycle facility and which types of waste they take here.

Though many have worked hard to make recycling as convenient as we can in our modern world, it can still be quite the hassle. If you want to make sure more of what you throw away is recycled, and save space in your regular bin for the stinky stuff - food and animal waste - a domestic junk collection service might be the thing for you!

So how can we help?

Monster Junk can collect pretty much anything from your home, so whenever you have bulky rubbish that would fill up your bin, why not get it collected at a time that suits you? Here’s an example of the kind of junk our regular customers ask us to take away for them:

● Duvets, bedding, mats and rugs (though these include a small POPs recycling surcharge)
● Toys, games and sports equipment
● Bags of clothes, coats and shoes
● Small electronics - microwaves, TV sets, computers, screens, toasters and blenders
● Kitchenware, crockery, ornaments and knick-knacks
● Furniture - bedside tables, chests of drawers, pictures, shelving units
● Exercise equipment like spinning bikes, rowing machines and weights
● DIY waste - broken tiles, off-cuts of wood, plastic or metal
● Shed junk - rusty tools, garden equipment, garden furniture and umbrellas
● Garden clippings, plants and leaves

Because we’re committed to reusing and recycling as much as possible (and can guarantee more than 96% of what we pick up is diverted from landfill), you’ll have the peace of mind to know that the things you’ve finished with are dealt with responsibly.

Got more junk?

If you’re having a bigger clear-out, or you’re moving house, or you’ve inherited a house-full of stuff to deal with, we can help you there too. We can take sofas, beds, mattresses, wardrobes, larger appliances like washers, dryers and fridges, and even pianos. If you’d like us to clear an entire home, we’ll make an appointment for an expert to come round and help you make a plan and guide you through the whole process free of charge!

Whatever you need to throw away, call us on 0800 029 3737 or fill in the 'Contact Us' form on our website and talk to us about how we can help.