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8.30pm the night before refuse collection day. We have grossly inadequate recycling boxes, and our refuse collectors wont collect back bags from the front door.
Tomorrow is Monday, and whilst my ire (or Fire) is still close to boiling, I thought I would prepare for my usual Monday Morning run in with Birmingham City Council's Refuse Department (which is currently being under performed by worldwide transnational refuse operator, VEOLIA, a company which boasts on its website a turnover of €36.1 billion at over 300 sites which by my reckoning averages just short of €120 million (approx £100 million) per annum per site assuming American billions were quoted). Do Tyseley and Lifford Lane count as one site or two?
At my own ward meeting on 15th June, in Brandwood, I'd raised issues over the continual poor performance of the operator. Only little things, but each and every Monday, missing out recycling stuff, not collecting green waste, missing out black bags, allowing black bag contents to spill out all over the road. Representing the refuse department was John Burke, who handed out a flyer with his email address mis-spelt as john.burker@birmingham.gov.uk instead of john.burke. Sounded like a politically incorrect pun to me. I told him that I thought that the blue and green boxes were grossly inadequate for the amount of recycling my household made. He told me that I could have as many boxes I wanted. I then said I could easily use six green and six blue (In Birmingham we have blue boxes for recycling card and paper-but not Tetrapak or pizza boxes, and green boxes for recycling plastic pop bottles, aluminium and steel cans and glass bottles- not plastic bags, tin foil, milk bottles or Pyrex). No problem said Mr Burke, whom I'd told that 'Contact Birmingham' phone line had said all I could have was two of each box. I also commented on the fact that black refuse bags were no longer collected by the bin men from the bin, and had to be put out by us. Another comment was the timing of the bin men in the road. The 'pre crew' often came between 5:30am and 6am, and on a couple of occasions, so did the lorry. I'll be watching them, and using Mr Gregory's ward meeting as a precedent, will be filming them with a clock on hand to prove the time! Other issues of spilt refuse were blamed by Mr Burke on factors outside of his control, such as foxes, Rats and Cats. I will now post email correspondence between Mr Burke and myself, which didn't start for 10 days due to his email address error.
1) Is an email To John Burke (click here to see a snapshot of the email)
Dear Mr. Burke
Re Brandwood ward meeting on 15th July
Please note your email address on the supplement you presented at the ward meeting actually said john.burker@birminghamham.gov.uk I hope that that was a typing error and not some politically incorrect amusement on your staffs' behalf. This has resulted in 3 emails bounce back to me. so as one of the people whose council tax pays for your salary, I am therefore not impressed with your performance at the moment. It has taken me till now to phone you as I have had further pressing problems with the council. My local councillor, Mr. Mark Hill have been most helpful in the negotiations and I am sending him, out of courtesy, a copy of this email too.
At the ward meeting you specifically said that I could have 6 blue AND 6 green recycling boxes, despite what the staff on 'Contact Birmingham' phone lines told me. With regard to the extra recycling bins. On Tuesday afternoon 16th July, we were given ONE extra blue box. We now have two of each.
You also gave an undertaking that my house would be earmarked for 'collection point dustbins in front garden'. This did not happen on Monday 22nd.
We therefore require 4 more blue AND 4 more green recycling boxes. In phoning you just now, one of your colleagues suggested that we might benefit from a blue wheelie bin and a green wheelie bin, but then you have the additional problem of them being a 'most sought after valuable and nickable asset', particularly by people who don't have one.
Would it be impertinent to request 3 black dust bins too? With 5 adults and a toddler in the house we are finding our land fill output increasing too. We are finding it quite impossible to store our household waste beyond Thursday, and have to visit Lifford Lane regularly each week.
Best Regards
David Wilson
2)Is A reply from John Burke (Click here to see a snapshot of the email)
Mr Wilson
I am sorry for the confusion with the email address.
I did wait to see you after the meeting but I am afraid you had left before
me.
Following the meeting one of my staff did call the next day but the young
man at home could not advise him what you needed. I had agreed to look at
supplying additional boxes if there was a need and Gary did drop off the
additional box. I understand you have a large household but it would be
extraordinary to supply 6 of each type of box.
I will print this off and arrange for my Ward officer Gary to call on you
to discuss both your recycling issues and refuse problems.
John Burke
Principal Operations Manager
Fleet and Waste Management
Environment and Culture
Lifford Depot B30 3JJ
Now is it me? Or is he talking from his arse? I said those things to him after the meeting, in front of my friend Frank and my cousin Jim. How can he reply with such condescending, presumptive arrogance? Is he standing for election next year? And just brushing up on his brushing aside?
(Mental note to self: You're still going on about presumptive arrogance)
DTW 28/6/2009
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