Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Veolia - bin swapping at collection
I do not normally see when the waste collection happens but as it happens today I was near the window as saw bins from outside my house (conversion) being taken out by one man and other two bins (from previous house) being put in their place.
You would say a bin is a bin BUT I clean the ones at the front of my house and was wondering why they get so filthy so quickly so now I know why.
Any point calling Veolia about that?
Not very happy to have stinky bins instead of the ones I cleaned only a week ago.
Yes, I could swap them back myself now but normally I am not at home at this time and would not like to have to do it every week.
Paint numbers on the leads?
Tags for Forum Posts: bin collection, bins, veolia
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ed Gorman on
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happens most weeks that we're left with our neighbours bins and they get ours. the way in which we know this happens is that we have the number of our houses on them, so i would suggest that you do the same - then you can be sure you get yours back (or at least can retrieve them if they get delivered next door).
this should also deter anyone from swiping them now that Haringey Council/Veolia have imposed a £30 replacement fee for your refuse buns (see my previous thread about that: http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/replacement-wheelie-bin... )
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Permalink Reply by Rob on
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You can buy custom cut numbers cheaply from many suppliers on eBay. Small ones for the lid and large ones on the front of the bin.
Easier and neater than painting.
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Permalink Reply by D S on
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I had the same problem with the bins so last year I bought on amazon those house stickers and put one on each bin lid and front and no problems since! ( I also bought those flower and gnomes stickers but have not put them yet, maybe I will on the garden waste one when I will order it soon
)
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Permalink Reply by LINDA MUD MASON ROYLES on
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Veolia leave the bins on the pavement after taking them from our front garden to empty them each week.
I have called them to say please dont leave them blocking the way as we are near a school, mums with prams, there is a blind person on our road and several elderly etc and the bins are a problem / blocking the pavement.....
I've been told tHe council pay us to empty the bins not to return them to where they found them..... so good luck.
We painted our house number on but because the bin is on the road it gets used by everyone - including dontractors dumping waste.
Rant over
Anyone got any ideas?
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Linda, the contract with Veolia used to be completely clear. Their staff were required to return the emptied bins to the "curtilage" of the property.
When I was a councillor I sat on a committee at which this problem came up. In the discussion with reps from Veolia it became clear that they did not know the legal meaning of the word curtilage. Imagining it to be something like 'nearby' or 'adjacent to'.
Having once-upon-a-long-time-ago qualified and worked as a solicitor (though not for very long) I was able to gently correct their misunderstanding. As you may well know, in summary it means the space inside the boundary showing land belonging to your home. Often that means inside the hedge, or fence, wall, or garden gate. They are supposed to return the bins to at least inside that boundary.
Of course, Haringey & Veolia may have agreed to vary that contract. That's something you can find out. Do they still have the "village manager" system for Veolia? She or he would know and help you sort it out.
All the problems you mentioned are things I took up at some time. Bins on pavements getting filled by other people is dysfunctional for Veolia itself since they can end up with recycling bins contaminated with general waste.
One problem you didn't mention worried me the most. That's a bin on the pavement acting as a sign that nobody is home.
Please let other people on HoL know how you get on in solving this. And if you get no sensible solution, nag your councillors. And in May please tell your new councillors.
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Dear Alan
Many thanks for getting back with this detailed and expert reponse. I have taken your points on board and written to Veolia (asking whether we have a Village manager) and also to the councilors (to confirm the details of the contract between Haringey and Veolia). I will update this forum in due course.
Again my sincere thanks for getting back and steering me on course to try and resolve this.
All best wishes for the weekend
LRDear Raj Sahota, Kirsten Hearn and Timothy Gallagher,
I am a local Stroud Green resident acting on behalf of the Woodstock Road Action Group. We have identified crime and grime as two issues on our agenda for 2018.
I understand that Veolia has a contract with Haringey council to empty and return our bins to the "curtilage" of our property.
Unfortunately rather than returning the bins to the space inside the boundary showing land belonging to our homes ("curtilage"), the bins on our street are left blocking up the pavements.
Can you confirm the terms of the contract between Haringey and Council to this effect please?
The impact of bins being left on our pavements by Haringey Council and its contracting partner Veolia are as follows:
a) Bins on pavements get filled by other people. This is dysfunctional for Veolia itself since these can end up with recycling bins contaminated with general waste. It doesn’t work for residents either because these bins can get labelled and then don’t get emptied
b) We have elderly and disable people living on our street (including blind people) - the bins can present a tripping hazard
c) There is a school on our road that encourages children (and guardians) to walk to school and the bins are just in the way - including a potential barrier for buggies and prams
d) A bin on the pavement may be seen as a sign that nobody is homeI look forward to hearing from you with detials of the terms of the contract between our Council and Veiola. We would be grateful if you could get back within the next 21 days.
All best wishes
Linda
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Surely made clear in the final para, Anka.
In any case ward councillors should be used to taking an occasional typo in their stride.
Besides Raj is a lawyer, Tim works for an MP. And Kirsten? ... Well, have a look.
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Thanks Alan
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Veolia writes:
Your complaint about queries about refuse collection and lodging of the bins causing health and safety issue, our reference: LBH/7083018
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to investigate your complaint. You complained about the refuse collection and lodging of the bins causing health and safety issue.
After carrying out an investigation into this complaint, a number of Health & Safety concerns were raised regarding the collection of bins on Woodstock Road, N4 as many properties have high steps.
In order to resolve this issue, we will be arranging a site meeting with Haringey Council to address the Health & Safety aspect of the bin collection and returns.
I hope that I have resolved your concerns to your satisfaction and as a result of these findings I will not be upholding this complaint.
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I have written to FIG as this looks like its going no where
Please can you review the following response to my complaint (Ref LBH/7083018)
I understand that Veolia has a contract with Haringey Council to empty and return our bins to the "curtilage" of our property. Is this correct?
Veolia are leaving the bins on the pavement, which according to Haringey website
"is an offence to obstruct the free passage of the highway."
Veolia say that this is because of a number of Health & Safety concerns - namely that many properties on Woodstock Road have high steps.
1.I would be interested to know what qualifies as "high" as in "high steps"?
2. If it is possible to remove a full bin from the property, why does it only become a health and safety concern when that bin is returned empty to the property?
3. Properties on Woodstock Road have ONE step to the curtilage, not as implied by this inspection several.The step is in fact not much higher than the step between the pavement outside our property and the road. One might question, if it were possible to navigate the height of one, one might also be able to navigate the height of the other?
Our property has stood since the Victorian / Edwardian era (1801) and it was only up until circa 2016 that the bins stopped being returned to the egress of the property.
Please advise
All best wishes
Linda
Crime n Grime Team Woodstock Road
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Thanks for posting this update, Linda.
It's several years since I walked down Woodstock Road. But with Google Maps, StreetView anyone can make a virtual trip there and observe the range of problems. This includes people who have spaces for bins and others who've chosen to have planters or hedges. Also to see there are four storeys including garden flats.
We can as well enlarge the view and get a rough idea of the height of the first step-up from pavement level.
Then there's the clock button which can go back to 2008 to view changes and variations. From which it seems that, as you say Linda, the single step doesn't look like the main problem. Though it's interesting to see that for some homes, a piece of street wall has been removed and more 'dedicated' bin space made.
As Sherlock Holmes might have observed, there is far more here than a step and a three-bin problem.
I look forward to your next episode!
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LOL. Indeed, parties are just side steppng the issue - it is really about paying less to get less.
I note from previous email that you were a former lawyer. Do you know anyone, by chance from a planning or building back ground?
All best wishes
LR
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