As
you can see this paper waste bin is quite new having been provided
only last May. I suspect it is fairly
standard issue; a flap at the front and the whole lockable top section hinged so that
it can be easily emptied into a refuse truck.
Before it arrived the old bin was abused and contaminated such that Bexley Council
refused to empty it for two months or more. It looks as though
history is repeating itself.
Surely every bin man knows which way round such a bin is supposed to be placed
but most - and probably everyone since CountryStyle took over the contract -
replaces it front to wall so that the flap is inaccessible. Eventually someone
got fed up with the situation and wrenched open the top lid, demolishing the lock
(it has simply disappeared) and bending the hinge such that the lid no longer fits properly.
Now that the lid is easy to open the bin has had polystyrene and plastic dumped within it which
probably gets it labelled “contaminated” and once more, we go weeks without it being emptied.
It is not Bexley’s biggest problem but indicates yet again what a useless
bunch our Council is and how little they supervise their contractors.
Ultimately the situation is down to bad behaviour by residents some of whom
simply do not know what civilised behaviour is or can be bothered to learn the
language and maybe comprehend the rules. That is nothing new but I seem to have acquired such people right next door to me.
It is now part of my daily routine to clear their rubbish from their sewer
before it enters mine and blocks it. I have been assured that only regular
toilet paper is flushed away but yesterday I fished out a large blood stained
wodge of fibrous material. Bexley Council says it is not their concern and maybe
it isn’t and Thames Water is only interested in selling me a ten pound a month
insurance policy to cover the shared sewer. Shared sewers have been their responsibility since 2011.
The time is approaching when I will have to plug up my neighbour’s sewer pipe so
that they have no access to mine. It is not a satisfactory or complete solution as the underground pipe
layout is such that I cannot prevent access from their downstairs bog, only the upstairs one.
Cultural diversity is a wondrous thing.