LAST Wednesday morning being our collection day, I had put my small sized wheelie-bin out to be emptied. I had an excess of refuse that week which I had put into a black bin sack on top of the bin.

I happened to be looking out of my window when the refuse collectors arrived. I was astonished to see one of the men walk up to my bin and kick the bin sack off it on to the ground, bursting open the bin sack in the process. My wheelie-bin was emptied, then off they went, leaving the bin sack on the grass verge where it had fallen.

I immediately rang the Refuse Department to complain, not unreasonably expecting an apology and assurance that the bin sack would be removed. Instead I was again astonished to be informed that the refuse collector had done the correct thing in kicking off the bin sack from the bin because they are not permitted to handle bin sacks because of the risk of personal injury.

One can only wonder how today's refuse collectors would have faired in the days of the old metal bins which had to be man-handled and lifted up to empty in to the old style wagons.

On asking what I was suppose to do about the bin sack - should I leave it on the grass verge? I was told to put it into my wheelie-bin to be collected the following collect day. After pointing out that if I was to do that then my wheelie-bin would again be over-full before it was collected, a special collection was arranged for today - Monday.

I never cease to be astonished! The bin sack was collected today as arranged. Instead of it being lifted from the top of the wheelie-bin straight on to the back of the wagon, a man had to carry the "dangerous'' sack further down the long pathway and throw it on to the back of the same type of wagon used for regular collection. It beggars belief! Surely a waste of manpower and tax payers' money.

INCREDIBLE DICTU

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.