The tips have been closed since the lockdown began, but this week they were tentatively re-opened. Louise (who likes to regularly order me to throw out anything I haven't used in a week because she hates clutter) immediately ordered me to clean out the garage, fill the car with 6 weeks of garden waste, and make a journey to the nearest household waste site.
Tuesday morning, before work (from home), I did just that. The tips open at 8am round here and I arrived at 20 past... only to find a queue stretching round the metaphorical block. I turned around and headed home, thinking maybe I'd try again a little earlier the next day.
Wednesday morning, I was there at 7.40. There were approximately 20 cars in front of me. So I waited. 2 cars in, 2 cars out. At 8.50, I finally got to the front of the queue. I drove in and was waved to one of two designated parking bays where I was allowed to dump a good proportion of my rubbish. Not the glass, because the bottle banks were closed. Not the tetra packs, because I'd been directed to Bay 2 and the tetra pack disposal thing is in Bay 1. I wasn't allowed to walk past the driver in Bay 1 to use that, so I drove them home again. At least I got rid of that stinky garden waste.
I'm not writing this down in outrage - the restrictions are what they are. I'm writing it down to remember. Because these are the details we'll forget, and we shouldn't ever forget.
Here's my favourite song about household waste...
Aarghh!
ReplyDeleteWonder if it's worth suggesting to your council that they set up an online booking system for the tip? It's worked here; you choose a 15 minute slot and reserve it with your car reg. Lots of info on their website too about what you can and can't take at the moment. I was impressed at how forward-thinking they were (a bit of a rarity around here!)
You obviously live in a far more civilised place than I do, C.
DeleteBig day in Glasgow
ReplyDeleteGarden rubbish bins emptied for the first time in weeks.
Meanwhile bottles are taking over the cellar
We take our pleasures where we can find them these days... you're just lucky you've got a cellar!
DeleteGreat song choice for the times. You are so right of course, it’s these domestic details we’ll forget down the line and I will forget that I’ve just experienced a pang of jealously (as ours won’t open for a while yet) over something previously so mundane.
ReplyDelete