"Andrew" wrote in message
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I'm amazed that the efficient Germans haven't persuaded the EU to
'harmonize' bin colours. It might be good idea.

I agree. It would be a very good idea if there were standard colours for
specific types of waste, and standard items that can be collected at the
roadside and/or recycling centres.

Moving from one area to another means learning a new council's rules - in
some areas, normal waste is a black bin, in others it is green. In some
areas they will take tin cans and paper (as opposed to cardboard), in other
areas they won't.

Some councils charge extra for garden waste at the roadside, and rubble /
broken plant-pots etc at the recycling centre.

I'd like to see a national standard for bin colours and what is collected,
with no additional per-load charge for items that are taken to the tip (ie
all covered by council tax),

I'd also like to see weekly collections of normal waste. Many times I've had
to make a special journey to the recycling centre to take packaging etc
which will not fit in the normal-waste bin, or even to take additional
cardboard boxes. tin cans, glass etc which will not fit in the very small
crate and even smaller bag for cardboard. Having to dismantle and rip up and
fold carboard boxes to make the fit in the bag is not acceptable: the bin
should be large enough to take these without putting the householder to the
hassle of making it fit.

It is fine to encourage people to recycle more, but all households generate
a certain amount of waste on average, and it all needs to be removed -
whether in the normal bin or the recycling bin. There seems to be a school
of thought that we should magically produce less waste, even of the
recyclable type.