Bristol residents told: Split rubbish 13 ways

RESIDENTS of a Georgian street have been ordered to separate their rubbish into thirteen different bags, leaving the area in a “mess”.

Hundreds of rubbish containers and bags pile up every Thursday morning along Caledonia Place in the affluent suburb of Clifton in Bristol, owing to the council’s strict recycling rules.

Rubbish is separated into general refuse, plastic and metal, cardboard, paper and glass, food and garden waste, while there are another eight optional collections including clothing, batteries and shoes. Food waste has its own bin while clothes and shoes, small electrics, shredded paper, and batteries all now require separate carrier bags. Engine oil must go in a sealed container and both car batteries and spectacles must lie loose next to the recycling bins.

The weekly scene on the street lined with large balconies and sash windows is in stark contrast to its normal picturesque nature the other six days of the week. Bristol City Council recycles 46 per cent of its household waste – which leads the way compared to the national average of 44.1 per cent.

The push for recycling is based on research that the more bins you give people, the more inclined they will be to recycle. But some residents are unimpressed by the strict rules.

Tracy Clement, 57, said: “It’s a farce. There’s always a mess and there’s animals and vermin that come out of the bins outside on bin day.”

Imogen James, 18, said: “We’ve had to ring the council several times to complain that they haven’t picked up the recycling and rubbish in the past which just causes more of a mess in the street.”

But other residents believe the council has done a good job. Mike Barton, 72, said: “It works alright as long as people know when to put things out. Newcomers don’t really know and there are a lot of rental properties.”