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Visiting Recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 1:35pm
by danfoto
When I turned up as usual at the local dump this morning with our large recyclables in the bike trailer, I had the misfortune to tangle with a jobsworth who has barred me from the site. This is because I told him not to be silly when he told me to get off my bike and push it, together with the loaded trailer, at all times when on the site - including the ramps in and out.

I didn't point out to Unterdumpführer Scheisskopf that if I dismounted and pushed my bike as instructed I would become a pedestrian and therefore he would be allowing me on the site in contravention of the rules as posted on the way in, to say nothing of the pain and suffering my slow progress would doubtless cause to the drivers of the cars which would inevitably form a queue behind me.

Anyhow, I'm now composing an email to the site operators, Messrs Veolia, which boils down to me seeing if they can somehow avoid saying that their policy is that householders wishing to be eco-whatever and thereby save the planet must take their waste to the dump in a motor car.

To this end, I'd love to hear if anybody else on a bike has been turned away from a household waste site operated by Veolia. Similarly, if you know of any such site which positively welcomes users on bikes, I'm all ears.

Thanks :)

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 2:50pm
by NATURAL ANKLING
Hi,
I found two close centres different in their manner, at the local council tip which is of course run by a contract firm, You have needed in the past your driving licience, and your post code, dispite for years the operator allowing trade dumping in the public bays :x then the other day I turned up to be met by gate keeper, "What are you tipping ? "
Just general suff and some push bike tyres....................Push What ?...Push Bike tyres..............Bicyle tyres and I pointed to back of car.
I dont know whether he was embarissed or just did not know what I meant, last time this happened they were Dutch :wink:
Right............so the gatekeeper does not know much English spoken, it was plain from his accent.....................

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 5:21pm
by rjb
NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
I found two close centres different in their manner, at the local council tip which is of course run by a contract firm, You have needed in the past your driving licience, and your post code, dispite for years the operator allowing trade dumping in the public bays :x then the other day I turned up to be met by gate keeper, "What are you tipping ? "
Just general suff and some push bike tyres....................Push What ?...Push Bike tyres..............Bicyle tyres and I pointed to back of car.
I dont know whether he was embarissed or just did not know what I meant, last time this happened they were Dutch :wink:
Right............so the gatekeeper does not know much English spoken, it was plain from his accent.....................


He probably only registered the word "tyres" and if like it is here in somerset they charge you to take car tyres to the tip. Once you repeated the word bicycle tyre he probably gave you the benefit of the doubt of whether to charge you or not. :roll:

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 5:46pm
by NATURAL ANKLING
rjb wrote:
NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
I dont know whether he was embarissed or just did not know what I meant, last time this happened they were Dutch :wink:
Right............so the gatekeeper does not know much English spoken, it was plain from his accent.....................


He probably only registered the word "tyres" and if like it is here in somerset they charge you to take car tyres to the tip. Once you repeated the word bicycle tyre he probably gave you the benefit of the doubt of whether to charge you or not. :roll:

I know what you mean, but its the "Pushbike" which forieners dont get I think.
That centre allows six tyre a year, how they police that I dont know. They just stopped taking Old Eng oil at centre but ket another CONTRACT firm to collect it from your door :?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle
Extract :-
"A bicycle, often called a bike[2] (and sometimes referred to as a "pushbike",[3] "pedal bike",[4] "pedal cycle",[5] or "cycle"[6]), is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.[7] A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe and now number more than a billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles.[8] They are the principal means of transportation in many regions. They also provide a popular form of recreation, and have been adapted for such uses as children's toys, general fitness, military and police applications, courier services and bicycle racing.
The basic shape and configuration of a typical upright, or safety bicycle, has changed little since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885.[9] However, many details have been improved, especially since the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design. These have allowed for a proliferation of specialized designs for diverse types of cycling.
The invention of the bicycle has had an enormous effect on society, both in terms of culture and of advancing modern industrial methods. Several components that eventually played a key role in the development of the automobile were invented for the bicycle, including ball bearings, pneumatic tires, chain-driven sprockets, and tension-spoked wheels."

I have to remember to put Bicycle not Cycle into searches :)

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 6:48pm
by danfoto
So ... has anybody actually taken stuff on a bicycle to a dump operated by Veolia and if so, how was it for you, dearie?

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 10:43pm
by 7_lives_left
I haven't tried to use a municiple dump by bicycle I am ashamed to say.

I seem to vaguely remember that the dump on the road between Old Amersham and Chalfont St Peter has (had) a restriction on pedestrians. I don't know who operates it. It is situated so far from anywhere that it is unlikely any pedestrian would want to visit it.

There is a dump in the Booker district of High Wycombe. I don't remember there being a restriction on pedestrians. Again it is so far from anywhere that no one is likely to wish to walk there.

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 6 Apr 2013, 11:11pm
by mattsccm
when my local tip changed hands a few years ago it went downhill. first I got a telling off for taking black bag domestic rubbish along as I had missed the normal bin day. Turned out that the tip was run by a different contractor to the domestic collection. Whilst we were arguing I just chucked the bags in the non recycleable skip and when the chap objectin.g to me blew his top I offered to get it out. that shut him up. A call to my local council got the response that they could do what they liked. I suggested that my contract ~(via council tax ) was with the council and would they like to deal with it. They passed me up the ranks until someone senior ageed with me. (to shut me up maybe? Anyway a few weeks later the same thing happend again. The same contractor helped me unload the bags and skipped them for me. :D
about the same time the same contractors objected to me taking about 200 litres of veg oil sludge to their container. It was left overs after I had filtered it for Landrover fuel. a similar phone call had the same result. Mutter things like "press" and duty to council tax payers to you local council and they tend to roll over and give up, usually giving the contractors grief about not doing the job properly.
Yes I can be an arsey git at times.

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 7 Apr 2013, 7:16pm
by PT1029
It seems recycling centres vary!
Oxfordshire ones are not viola or whatever its called.
They seem to take anything, engine oil, paint, bikes (separate from scrap), chemicals - I had some (I think) sodium chlorate weed killer (about 4 kg I think) in its original labelled container, can spontaniously combust if damp, classified as harardous. I was told to leave it on top of the hazardous waste bin (which not suprisingly they keep locked), no queries or can't do that.

However, you can cycle into the dum er recycling centre, you can get out of your car and walk around taking stuff to various bins etc. Away from the mayhem of cars reversing etc, you are banned from entering by walking through the gate!!!

I'll let other kick up a fuss, as I also go there taking trade waste (have to pay for), and I have a good working relationship with them, and they have finally worked how to weigh in a cargo bike with no registration number to generate a receipt!

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 7 Apr 2013, 8:47pm
by andymiller
danfoto wrote:So ... has anybody actually taken stuff on a bicycle to a dump operated by Veolia and if so, how was it for you, dearie?


I've never had any problem with my recycling centre (does that count as a dump?).

Maybe you should read your signature, and chill out.

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 8 Apr 2013, 8:46am
by danfoto
andymiller wrote:
danfoto wrote:So ... has anybody actually taken stuff on a bicycle to a dump operated by Veolia and if so, how was it for you, dearie?


I've never had any problem with my recycling centre (does that count as a dump?).

Maybe you should read your signature, and chill out.


So ... are you saying that your recycling centre is operated by Veolia and that you have never had any problem taking stuff there on a bike? If so, would you be kind enough to say where it is? :)

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 8 Apr 2013, 1:41pm
by [XAP]Bob
PT1029 wrote:... I also go there taking trade waste (have to pay for), and I have a good working relationship with them, and they have finally worked how to weigh in a cargo bike with no registration number to generate a receipt!


Your new registration is B1CYCLE

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 8 Apr 2013, 9:55pm
by Reigncloud
Sita run it in our area (not veolia sorry) and have always been fine with me showing up with a bike trailer. I'm actually a bit shocked to hear that some places do have issues with people arriving on bikes.

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 9 Apr 2013, 7:13am
by danfoto
Well, I now wait in eager expectation of a helpful reply from Messrs Veolia to the complaint I emailed. I've been promised one "within fifteen working days" ... :roll:

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 30 Apr 2013, 2:13pm
by danfoto
And on the 16th working day after my emailed complaint, I have now been favoured with a response - and a good one too. Basically the jobsworth at the dump was out of order, he's been "spoken too" by the site manager, and I have it in writing that it is not the policy of either Veolia or the local council to deter adult cyclists from using their household waste sites.

One interesting fact that's come out of this is that since Veolia are operating the sites on behalf of the council, their employees do not have the power to ban members of the public from the sites. The worst they can do is turn away persons whom they believe to be intent upon depositing trade waste.

Re: Using Veolia household recycling sites on a bike

Posted: 30 Apr 2013, 6:14pm
by CREPELLO
Result :D