Put them in number 6

Southampton refuse collectors have been on strike now for quite some time, around 6-7 weeks.

I fully support the strike - they be told they have to have their wages cut or lose their jobs? So, to help them I have been taking my refuse to the local tip, when the bin gets too full. The tip happens to be right near to Basepoint Business Centre, where Feminine Wear is based. So, it isn't going out of my way.

Some Southampton residents have had an emergency refuse collection by agency staff. This hasn't happened in my street and it's obvious to see why when I look out of my window. The street is clean, there are no black bags or overflowing bins, no rats marching up and down looking for scraps. Why? Because we don't like a messy street and care about our environment so we have all been doing the tip runs, by the look of it.

Today my recycling bin was getting quite full so I sorted it into black bags of cardboard, cans, plastic bottles and paper. I headed off to the tip, also taking a load of garden waste and some large pieces of cardboard.
The queue for the tip was horrendous but I finally made it in. I couldn't see anywhere for my plastic bottles so I asked someone and he said "put them in number 6." I walked towards bin number 6 and it was full of black sacks of household waste, with a sign above it saying "household waste." I explained again that I had recycable plastic bottles, emphasis on the recyclable. He just said again "put them in number 6." He actually tutted at me in annoyance, which, I'm afraid made me start to feel angry. Add that to the fact that he was walking away from me made me follow him. I said "excuse me, these are recyclable plastic bottles, I can't put them in with the household waste, they are to be recycled." He tried to take the bag from me and I said "I'm not putting them in there, I'd rather take them back home with me!"

I put them back in my car and picked up a bag of tin cans. I walked towards the skips and he was just staring at me, like I had committed a sin by not doing as I was told. I asked a different member of staff where to put the tins and I put them in the metal recycling skip. I then asked the 2nd man where to put plastic bottles and told him what the other one had said, who was still giving me the evils. He then said "put them in bin number 6!"

Well, then I became very angry. I started shouting at him and said "how can you expect me to put recyclable plastic bottles into a skip full of household waste?" He said that the household waste number 6 skip was going to be recycled and household waste number 7 skip was due for the landfill. I looked at both skips and they were identical. I said "it is full of black sacks, how are you going to sort through that and pull out all of the recyclable items?"

Man number one was still looking at me and started coming over, and I could see a 3rd one approaching. People using the tip stopped to watch me ranting at 3 men about putting my plastic bottles in a clearly inappropriate bin!! I was furious. I asked him again to explain why I was being told to do it and how they were going to sort the household waste from the recyclable waste.
His final response before I walked away "we don't have a plastic bottle recycling bin, everyone just puts them there!"

Needless to say my plastic bottles came home with me!

I have been photographing some of the rubbish that I have seen and you can see them here - http://http//www.flickr.com/photos/feminine-wear/sets/72157627099064442/