Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

I got my leaflet today stating that from October you have to pay £75 a year for garden waste collection. Further bulk collections will cost £25 for 4 items then £10 per item. If the dustman break your wheelie bin or you don't have one you have to pay £30.

I rang Haringey who transferred me to veola. Veola say it's Haringey council who decided they need to save 20 million for social care.

I am disgusted. I have lived in this borough for 53 years and all this is going to do is make people dump rubbish in the streets in a borough that has the worst fly tipping in England.

As far as saving money for social care, already the council tax bill went up to cover this. Haringey council should stop wasting money on other things.

I for one will not pay £75 and I suggest Haringey think again..

Tags for Forum Posts: garden waste, waste collection charges

Views: 7877

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Yes, I think that's the case. I guess the additional £15 is in effect bin hire charge.

Pity they couldn't mention it on the leaflet... 

Oh, that's promising. I couldn't see the "table" mentioned in the link though.

Hopefully they will detail it officially on the Haringey website soon.

As I said earlier in the thread, I don't really object to the new garden waste charge. I think there have been other discussions on the site about how council tax in Haringey hasn't changed for many years. I seem to recall that there was an easy majority of those who contributed to pay higher council tax rather than see services cut.

I'd rather pay for garden waste collection than see it cut.

Over 50% of councils have now imposed charges. It's pretty much inevitable that it was going to happen here, but there are choices about how it happens. To repeat what I said earlier, the thing I do object to is the imposition of another wheelie bin. It's not required in Ealing (see below) , and I'm sure in other councils. So why must it be a requirement here?

Whilst I'm resigned to the new charging, I will happily work with others to push for an alternative to more wheelie bins. 

In the meantime, having suggested neighbourly sharing of brown bins towards the beginning of the thread, I've cast around the web to see if there are other ways of dealing with our new reality that I hadn't thought of. Here's what I found:

1. Throw it in the street. That is what people in my area do. Some even just dump furniture like sofas and beds there. The council have to come pick them up. They are supposed to investigate who did it but they never bother.

2. Douse it in lighter fluid and have yourself an impromptu bonfire!

3. Thatch the roof of your shed.

4. From Ealing Council, "Residents who do not have a garden or enough space could also try using a wormery on a balcony or in the kitchen"9but let's not sneer at them too readily, they do also say on their website "you will have a choice between wheelie bins or reusable sacks").

and rather hopefully

4. Hide it in your green bag, subtly. Twigs in empty twiglets packs.

None of which give me much hope.

Perhaps I'll leave the last word to Haringey's waste supremo, Cllr Peray Ahmet. She is quoted on Veolia's site in an article dated last October as saying, “We are committed to providing Haringey residents with a comprehensive range of solutions to cover all different types of waste that they generate. With the free garden waste service residents can have peace of mind that their garden waste is being properly collected and carefully treated. We hope that all residents with gardens will take advantage of this service”. 

Cllr Ahmet, I'll trade my peace of mind for an alternative to a wheelie bin. Might your commitment to providing "a comprehensive range of solutions to cover all different types of waste that they generate", stretch to widening the availability of non-bin collection of garden waste?

Just preparing a complaint e-mail to my local Councillor, Barbara Blake, so I also looked at the Veolia website, where I found these in the FAQs:

What happens if it’s the collection crew that lose or damage my bin?

The collection crew will report any instances of bins being damaged or falling into the waste truck. We will then replace your lost or damaged bin free of charge within 10 working days.

---

What advice can you give to prevent my bin getting lost or stolen in the future?

Please consider the following:

  • labelling your bin
  • putting your bin out on the morning of your collection, rather than the night before
  • having your bin brought in as soon as possible after collection (your neighbour may be able help

 ---

There's no mention of what sanction, if any, Veolia will take against any crew member admitting to damaging a bin, but I'm guessing it's probably at least a £30 fine, so good luck with that one. My bins are permanently placed just inside the front gate, but it still doesn't stop the dustmen from shoving them back anywhere they feel like. If Veolia instructed their people to put bins back where they find them, it would show some willingness on their part to help minimise the chance of them being nicked, but I suppose this is a "customer service" the contract doesn't required them to provide.

❶ What happens if the collection crew don't report or even notice the damage to your bin?
❷ Even clearly labelled bins can be and are stolen from time to time.
❸ Bin collections begin very early in the morning. You may be out of luck if you want to have a proper sleep. Or are busy feeding, dressing, and generally getting kids ready for school/nursery. Or are a disabled person who finds it hard getting going and moving bins.
❹ I don't understand the advice about bringing in bins. Bins are required by Veolia's contract to be collected from and returned to the "curtillage" of your home.  If they are being left on the street, Veolia are in breach.

I spoke to viola who said that unless it's proved that the dustman broke the bin you have to pay. So the dustman took bin this morning, broke it and put it back. I don't see it till hours later, I report it, viola will say, sorry we have no record of the dustman breaking it so you have to pay. Secondly what like what's happened to me in the past where the bin is stolen? So I have to pay or get it insured? No no no..Haringey isn't getting a penny more from me period...

Despite what they say Nick I'm fairly sure you don't have to "prove" they broke your bin, just show on the balance of probabilities they did it. If they break my bin and try to wriggle out of it I shall invoice them for the replacement cost. And when they refuse to pay I shall threaten to take them to Court via an online small claims application. And if they ignore this I shall proceed. It entails a bit of time (which you can also charge for) and some initial charges (which you get back from them) but is immensly satisfying

Putting up the Council tax was a choice. The fact that we didn't for so many years has meant a lot of potential revenue has been lost. So now the cuts are even more swinging. Like I said,  there are political choices and when money is tight those choices have consequences. I have posted another comment elsewhere which I also set out here: 

________________________________

I don't think the charges will work as people who don't have money, cars or other resources will be pushed further into using what Alan Stanton described years ago, when he was on the council, as the third system -i.e dumping. When dumping happens they have to come and take it away which of course is costly in financial terms - and adds to our very poor reputation.

It is true that the Council is squeezed fro cash - but it is also true that we have choices as a Council about how we allocate the resources we have.  It can't go unnoticed that we have invested so heavily in these huge futuristic regeneration plans where Haringey will be cleaner, brighter, and have oodles of tower blocks. All that futurology costs vast amounts of money. For me, regeneration starts at the most local level - sorting out the environment, enforcement, rogue landlords, civic pride, community involvement.

Apparently this is old hat compared to the developer led and developer embraced concepts where all the streets are perfect, the sun shines all the time and no one has any social problems or worries. And where decisions are taken on yachts in Cannes.

I am certainly up for a meeting with everyone and with Peray.

_________________________________

Zena Brabazon

Cllr, Harringay ward

What rubbish..firstly it's the allocation of money that is the problem not that Haringey doesn't have any. Is it not true that Haringey is subsiding the hotel charges in the new hotel in station Rd? Is it not true that certain departments are being moved into the Civic Centre for one year costing thousands then being moved again to another building a year later because the lease is up on the Civic Centre? Is it not true the council wasted 86 thousand to change the logo? Is it not true that the council funded thousands to improve Wood Green yet a few years later they are doing it again? I can go on and on. The problem is Haringey council and those who run it and as far as council tax we pay a lot and an increase this year to cover social care. Ditch this idea cos I along with many others refuse to pay it.

Nick, can you tone things down a bit. A confrontational style of exchange is not welcome on HoL.

RSS

Advertising

© 2024   Created by Hugh.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service