Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Veolia and next doors' rubbish
This saga really is beginning to wear me down.
For some reason, (probably the wrong bin was in front of the right bin) Veolia have not been emptying the bins next door. Now they definitely won't as they're overflowing and they STINK! I made the mistake of opening my window today but quickly closed it again due to the stench of rotting rubbish. But not only that, they next door (non English speaking Japanese) have nowhere else to put their rubbish.
Until now.
I spotted one of them on my CCTV putting their rubbish in my bin. So when they've filled my bin, where am I supposed to put my rubbish?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Madeline on
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I don't believe it. He's just done it again. Hubby was going to shout at him through the window but it is, of course, shut because of the smell.
So who do I report it to? The council, Veolia?
And don't say talk to them about it, they don't take any notice to what we say if, indeed they understand us. We have to wait until the caretaker comes and talk to him about any issues.
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Permalink Reply by Kotoko OS on
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what is wrong with the bin, do you think, at the first place for Veolia not to empty it? Anything I can help you with?
I'm happy to. (I am a Japanese speaker. Can write your message to him in Japanese?)
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Madeline, what did Veolia say when you phoned them, and explained the particular problem you have?
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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Happy to take this up with Veolia for you. My email is karen.alexander.haringeylibdems@gmail.com if you want to let me have your address and details etc.
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I have, in the past, complained to Veolia on my neighbours behalf, both sides but I don't see why I should solve their problems for them. It was the same with my upstairs neighbour, she would fill the bin and dump bin bags which were never collected. I used to get Veolia to come and take it all. But of course she carried on with this because as far as she was concerned they were taking her rubbish, no problem. So I sent her a note explaining what I was doing and what she should do, plus relevant phone numbers, and she's mostly behaving now. But I can't do this for all my neighbours. It's not my job, and besides, most of them are transients and some of them are not exactly friendly or co-operative.
Alan, I haven't phoned Veolia yet as this is the first time I've seen who it actually is that's using my bin.
Kotoko OS, I might take you up on that, get you to translate something like the note that I wrote for the people upstairs.
Karen, I may get back to you if I have no joy.
(sigh) There were never these problems before with the green boxes. Only since the giant bins were introduced with the new rules on how many eggshells are allowed in which bin and the proviso that the householder do most of the work by taking the bin almost out to the dustcart themselves.
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I realise it's extra work you don't need, Madeline, but if Veolia managers don't know there's a problem they won't be looking for a solution. Instead the binmen will respond to an immediate "presenting" problem. In this case, general waste "contaminating" recycling bins, so the latter are not collected.
Karen Alexander and I both took part in the Scrutiny Review of the new system waste, which found this problem is not unusual. Though often it can be solved. But there are some streets and blocks which simply won't fit into the general system. So there is some flexibility; there has to be.
If you haven't time to sit on the phone waiting for the Veolia switchboard, you could email them. A quick cut and paste from this thread should be enough.
If you find that after you explain things to Veolia you still don't get a solution which "sticks", then do take up Karen's offer.
I also think it's brilliant that people on HoL are willing to help one another out - here Kotoko offering some quick practical translation. Another example of what a local website can do well. And this is not about replacing paid staff by unpaid volunteers (or "interns"). It is enabling such knowledge and skills in the community to complement essential publicly funded services.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor - until May 2014)
P.S. I wonder, without your helpful intervention, Kotoko, would Google Translate be good enough to get the message across clearly and politely enough?
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I was, in the past, a Volunteer Community Warden for my area and it was my (unpaid obviously) job to note problems and report them to the relevant dept or my council officer in charge. It wasn't just bins and rubbish, although that is a pet hate of mine, but other things like potholes, hedges and anything else that would impact on the general health of the area. Things were done then and it would give me a sense of pride that I'd done something to help the people who live, work and travel through my neck of the woods. Some, who knew what I did, would come to me with problems that they'd spotted, simple things like a non working light, that anyone can report quite easily. I still do this to some extent but the VCW group has disbanded now so I have no back-up any more. But I'm getting tired and fed up with banging my head against a brick wall, and for what? Nothing. Companies like Veolia don't care what impact their new rules are having on people and the people themselves don't see it as their problem, just something some one else should sort out. Or, as in my case here, leave the problem there and find another solution to the overflowing bin and dump the rubbish elsewhere. Like I said, what will they do with their rubbish when my bin is full?
Tomorrow is green waste only (we don't have a bin, we use the bags) and they're putting smelly food stuff in my general waste bin that will stay and fester for two weeks now. To me it's selfish. Out of sight, out of mind, and in my bin.
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Permalink Reply by Nilgun Canver on
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Hi, sorry to hear your experience. if you e-mail me your address I'll take it up. Thanks.
Nilgun.canver@haringey.gov.uk
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Alan. What you say is correct about needing to tell Veolia that there is a problem to solve, and I suspect that once someone in a management position knows about the issue there may be some resolution. However, surely the fact that Veolia visit a property once a week as a minimum to empty bins, and for what ever reason they decide not to empty a particular bin (a green bin with normal refuse in for example), why can this not be reported by a Veolia employee? Why does it require a neighbour who is getting to the point of clinical frustration to do get involved. In your Scrutiny Review, was any of this discussed at all?
I get that bin men are not always rocket scientists, but it is not beyond them. (In a similar vein, we have two other groups of 'council employees' on the streets almost daily, traffic wardens and street cleaners. I have often wondered why they cannot act as a pair of eyes and report problems when they see them around our streets (the broken wall outside the school on Pemberton, a street light out, piles of waste outside a particular house, etc). I am not sure if they do or do not, but there seems to be a reliance on someone from the public actually complaining to make something happen, or sort a problem. That said this is a slightly different topic, and I note you have also made comments in the past about a culture that folks seem to expect the council to sort everything when we should be taking responsibility for problems such as out own waste.)
I have noticed a few discussion threads on HoL about rubbish and bins not being collected. When the new bins were introduced I seem to remember there being discussion that if a bin was not collected and there was a persistent problem with rubbish not being separated or the bins being used inappropriately that Veolia would send an 'intervention team' (my phrase) to talk to the relevant residents and sort the issue out. I am not sure if I have actually heard of anything like this happenings, have I remembered right, and has this in fact occurred?
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Alan, I get the feeling that electronic translations for European languages are relatively decent overall. But, with Japanese, there are wide difference in quality amongst the translation systems (e.g. Bing, Google, etc.). Google Translate seem a little better, though, personally, I would go by a Japanese speaker in order not to loose nuances "clearly and politely" as you say if you have an access to one.
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Well that was a waste of time. I just phoned Veolia and they basically said it's not their problem and that I needed to phone Environmental Services. I did insist though that they needed to come and investigate why these bins weren't being emptied and if necessary to educate the tenants there about their waste disposal. Then I rang Environmental Services on the number Veolia gave me. "Pick from this list of options... now pick from this list of options. None of them were Environmental Services. In the end I opted to talk to the call centre hoping they'd put me through to the relevant office. She told me to ring again and chose option 9, then chose option 3. A recorded message said they were busy and to ring back later then hung up on me. No joy there then.
On a slightly better note, I've just got back from an assessment by an occupational therapist (or someone like that) and the council will be putting in a new hand rail that crosses the centre of the platform step that is shared with next door. That'll make it awkward for him to get to my bin. Awkward but not impossible. I suspect that he will just walk a few yards and lean over the wall to use the bin. (and no, it can't be moved out of reach)
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Hi, Madeline, I presume he must feel inconvenienced too by Viola - Considering most of Japanese people have a very high hygiene standard. It must not be tolerable to him too. He may just not know what to do or how to approach? (Ok, well, even if he did speak English well, he may not get anywhere as you could not get through to anyone who talks senses after a reasonable attempt!)
I dunno, maybe Karen can help here? I am still happy to draft a note if you or anyone can tell me what should be stated.
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