The Colchester, Essex council has determined that plastic flower pots are too dangerous for their garbagemen ("binmen") to pick up.
Diana Angel told the London Daily Telegraph that she had left two half-empty garbage sacks outside her house, and that the garbagemen had ripped them open and left them, classing the trash as "unsuitable."
Angel, who is in her late 60s and has had three hip replacements, called the Essex council to complain, and was told that she would have to take the items to a dump herself, or pay £30 for the garbagemen to actually do their job.
"It was a plastic plant pot and a short-handled dustpan and brush which had broken, it was about two and half foot tall, I don't see how it could be classed as dangerous," Angel told the Telegraph.
"They sent me a letter saying they do not accept garden waste - but it was just a plant pot with a weed attached to it. I thought as long as it fitted in a black bag that was OK.
The Telegraph spoke to "Tim Young, the councillor responsible for waste," (I'm sure they meant garbage, not government waste. That's something the entire council pitches in on.) said the trash collectors are encouraged to rip open bags and leave things they don't want to pick up.
Actually he said they're "encouraged to check bags where items were sticking out, to reduce the risk of health and safety hazards and to increase recycling rates."
Ah, "health and safety." The mating call of the British bureaucrat.
There's a reason Britain is becoming known as the Nanny State. They make up some nonsensical rule designed to inconvenience the lives of its citizens, and then hide behind "health and safety." While America is the land of the lawsuit, I think the British are starting to beat us for sheer stupidity of its government officials.
---
Like this post? Leave a comment, Digg it, or Stumble it.
Diana Angel told the London Daily Telegraph that she had left two half-empty garbage sacks outside her house, and that the garbagemen had ripped them open and left them, classing the trash as "unsuitable."
Angel, who is in her late 60s and has had three hip replacements, called the Essex council to complain, and was told that she would have to take the items to a dump herself, or pay £30 for the garbagemen to actually do their job.
"It was a plastic plant pot and a short-handled dustpan and brush which had broken, it was about two and half foot tall, I don't see how it could be classed as dangerous," Angel told the Telegraph.
"They sent me a letter saying they do not accept garden waste - but it was just a plant pot with a weed attached to it. I thought as long as it fitted in a black bag that was OK.
The Telegraph spoke to "Tim Young, the councillor responsible for waste," (I'm sure they meant garbage, not government waste. That's something the entire council pitches in on.) said the trash collectors are encouraged to rip open bags and leave things they don't want to pick up.
Actually he said they're "encouraged to check bags where items were sticking out, to reduce the risk of health and safety hazards and to increase recycling rates."
Ah, "health and safety." The mating call of the British bureaucrat.
There's a reason Britain is becoming known as the Nanny State. They make up some nonsensical rule designed to inconvenience the lives of its citizens, and then hide behind "health and safety." While America is the land of the lawsuit, I think the British are starting to beat us for sheer stupidity of its government officials.
---
Like this post? Leave a comment, Digg it, or Stumble it.