NOTEBOOK by BILL HEANEY
Bring flowers of the rarest
Bring blossoms the fairest
From garden, and woodland
And hillside and Vale …
But, for God’s sake, don’t bring them to Dumbarton or the Vale or any other part of West Dunbartonshire for that matter.
Or you’ll never be able to get rid of them when they wither and die.
It doesn’t matter if you have had a birthday or a wedding or a funeral or even a Valentine’s Day bunch of roses presented to you or members of the family.
West Dunbartonshire Council have decided in their inestimable wisdom not to allow residents to put cut flowers in their brown bins.
At least not until the 30th of March when the exceedingly stupid £60 a whack brown bin permits for garden refuse only come into season.
What a load of palaver. What a con.
No wonder it has attracted a furious response and derision from the public.
Davie Neil wrote to the Council “help” column: “Good morning , when are West Dunbartonshire Council going to pull their finger out and start using all the council tax collected from the people of West Dunbartonshire. I don’t need fancy planters or a fountain with no bloody water!”
Lorraine McKenzie wrote: “Hi Amanda [she’s the woman who is supposed to answer your questions as to why you are not getting the services you think you deserved, but gives you the number you really should be calling], can you explain to me why cut flowers from a vase (household rubbish) would not be uplifted from my brown bin?”
Tongue firmly in cheek, Lorraine added: “The bin men very kindly removed them and left them on top of my bin when emptying it this morning and I’m confused as to why they were left there.”
Spring is sprung, the grass is rizz … You wonder where the binman is …
West Dunbartonshire Council replied: “Hi Lorraine McKenzie, these flowers are classed as garden waste and will not be uplifted outwith the garden waste permit season, thanks Amanda.”
Very perjink, very proper, but sheer madness on the part of the basket case council.
Catherine Walsh responded saying Lorraine was lucky – “You were lucky. They just did not empty my bin. When I called to report it, and I said it was all food waste bar the withered flowers I was told the flowers would have been the reason my brown bin did not get uplifted. It beggars belief .”
Eileen Allan was gobsmacked. She wrote:”Lorraine McKenzie, so going by the answer you’ll need to put the flowers in your green/ black bin. It’s all getting crazy.”
It’s been crazy for a long time. Ed.
Katie A Coo chipped in: “Lorraine McKenzie my household food waste has never been emptied, I have sent letters to local councillors, and had a response from one. Got response today, food waste not being lifted after 31st March unless you purchase garden waste permit ????? WTAF.”
Jackie M McTaggart wrote: “This is outrageous! West Dunbartonshire Council you really need to get a grip. All the waste gets taken to the same place.”
Lorraine McKenzie replied: “Jackie M McTaggart exactly! Not like the flowers wouldn’t have composted with the rest of the food waste. Clearly my mistake not wasting resources by putting them in a food waste bag first. Frustrating thing is, I pay for the garden waste permit.”
Jackie M McTaggart added: “Lorraine McKenzie It’s just nonsense. It makes me laugh. Charge people for garden waste, but it all goes into the same bin lorry as those with just food waste. They’re just ripping it!”
Gordon Rundell asked: “When are the administration going to stand down? The people of West Dunbartonshire have had enough of Rooney and his cohorts running the place into the ground.”
Ewan Williamson replied: “You’ll also find that there’s full mismanagement on corporate level.”
Chris McCaughey asked: “When is the council tax going up ? I want to flush out my kidneys before putting them up for sale.”
William Cochrane diverted the conversation away from bins. He asked: “Who is the genius who sanctioned lane closures on both sides of the A82 at the same time, so that folk don’t only suffer 45-minute delays leaving Dumbarton but get to experience it all over again on the way back in?”
The abhorred and widely feared four-letter word RATS was brought into the debate by Helen Collinson, who wrote: “The white bin which has been used for fly tipping too has been reported at least five times and still nothing done, truly is an eyesore! Also rats have been seen and found dead very close to said bin!”Now that puts the council’s daft rules about not putting cut flowers in your brown bin into prespective.
It seems that the council can attract university lecturers and even graduates into their numbers but that they haven’t yet managed to find anyone with common sense.
Suck it up folks. You pay for this nonsense.