Search Sort Posts:  Oldest to newest Newest to oldest

02/04/2008, 5:01 Nicole Joined on 18/09/2007 France Posts 12 Taking out the rubbish !! A new bin has arrived in our small commune. Until Friday, we had one green topped bin for general rubbish, and one yellow bin for recycling. All glass and paper waste (i.e. newspapers and magazines) must be taken to the dark green and blue recycling bins in the village. A couple more houses in our hamlet are now being inhabited permanently so now we have an extra green topped bin !. It does take a little getting used to, to remember to take the rubbish to the bins at the end of the road and then to sort it by the roadside.. and there are no secrets !!.. everyone know what breakfast cereal you eat !!. But be careful..to ONLY put the recycling rubbish in the yellow topped bin. Dustbin men in France have huge powers to humiliate those who abuse the recycling rules !!. I once put a crème fraiche tub in the recycling bin and on the way back from taking the children to school is was taped with red and white hazard stripped masking tape to the top of the bin for all to see !!.. I screeched to a halt, hoping I was the first to see my error. I tore the crème fraiche tub from the bin and put it in the green topped bin.. Why can’t crème fraiche tubs be recycled anyway ?    Report

02/04/2008, 6:45 Clair Joined on 23/08/2004 ------- Forum Moderator ------- Lot Posts 6,264 Re: Taking out the rubbish !!  Nicole wrote: It does take a little getting used to, to remember to take the rubbish to the bins at the end of the road and then to sort it by the roadside.. and there are no secrets Unless I misunderstand your post, you have to separate, so why not start the process at home? We have three large plastic boxes in the garage: for papers/cardboard, plastics/tins and glass. Then it's just a matter of remembering to take them to the bin... Clair, a Real Virtual French Person La vérité est si obscurcie en ce temps et le mensonge si établi, qu'à moins d'aimer la vérité, on ne saurait la reconnaître. (Blaise Pascal)    Report

02/04/2008, 8:36 Tony F Dordogne Joined on 10/04/2005 Small village in the Dordogne, near St Cyprien Posts 1,409 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! Absolutely Clair, we recycle everything here, light bulbs, printer cartridges, old clothes as well as our domestic waste which we sort at home.   Can't think why anybody would stand at the bins organising their rubbish. The creme fraiche pots are not recyclable plastic btw. Tony F Dordogne (24) Huguenot Trails    Report

02/04/2008, 8:37 Patf Joined on 23/08/2004 SW Gers Posts 2,101 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! Don't they provide you with yellow sacks for the plastic packaging etc? From the Mairie. I think containers which have had something greasy in them eg plastic oil bottles, creme fraiche containers, go with the uncyclable stuff. You're unlucky though, no-one checks here. The dechetterie man is more particular.You have to flatten cartons, plus empty them of any packaging.    Report

02/04/2008, 8:45 Pierre ZFP Joined on 12/11/2004 PdC(62)/Luxembourg Posts 1,649 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! We have it easy in France, you should try Switzerland!  As well as the usual recyle options, the 'normal' rubbish has to be put in a special type of bag that you buy at the supermarket which has an additional tax levied on it, you can't use any old bag.  A work colleague chucked his stuff in an old carrier bag one week, the 'Bin Police' tracked him down via an envelope in the rubbish and fined him 600 Swiss Francs!! This was in Zurich, don't know if it's the same in other Cantons Fool me once, shame on you Fool me twice, shame on me Fool me 3 times and you can see a statistical tendency    Report

02/04/2008, 8:48 Cathy Joined on 07/03/2006 Mostly near Bordeaux; Sometimes near Bristol Posts 1,685 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! I like the recycling system in our area with the different coloured wheelie bins, and the back up of the dechetterie, because it makes recycling so easy.  OK the dechetterie man is not the easiest person in the world to get on with but at least there is a place to go to with bits and pieces.  When I go back to the UK, I get frustrated with how difficult it is there. I also thought that it was greasy tubs that they do not want in the yellow bin, unless they are cleaned.  Does anyone put their stuff in the dishwasher before recycling?  I've often thought about it but hleld back as it rather defeats the object. Cathy ----- Your children won't remember you ironing their pyjamas but they will remember you reading them a bedside story.    Report

02/04/2008, 8:56 Clair Joined on 23/08/2004 ------- Forum Moderator ------- Lot Posts 6,264 Re: Taking out the rubbish !!  Patf wrote: Don't they provide you with yellow sacks for the plastic packaging etc? From the Mairie. I think containers which have had something greasy in them eg plastic oil bottles, creme fraiche containers, go with the uncyclable stuff. You're unlucky though, no-one checks here. The dechetterie man is more particular.You have to flatten cartons, plus empty them of any packaging. No such service here! I use the supermarket plastic bags to collect the "dirty" plasctics and I try to give everything a quick rinse in the soapy washing-up water before emptying the bowl. We're fortunate to have a brand new déchetterie a few km away, just far enough not to be inconvenienced yet close enough for a quick detour on the way to the main town The man there is very helpful (I think he gets lonely out in the sticks!) and they do have a huge pile of compost I can help myself to! Clair, a Real Virtual French Person La vérité est si obscurcie en ce temps et le mensonge si établi, qu'à moins d'aimer la vérité, on ne saurait la reconnaître. (Blaise Pascal)    Report

10/04/2008, 22:43 NormanH Joined on 10/04/2008 Posts 179 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! Different in my town! This is the end of my street:    Report

11/04/2008, 8:22 Framboise Joined on 29/11/2006 At home in the Orne Posts 475 Re: Taking out the rubbish !! We have carried on as if in UK - we had the bin- fuhrers there - so I have just continued my system here, only exception being that I take the stuff to the recycling bins instead of collection from the house. I wash/rinse it all before it goes, however I am the ONLY one in the hamlet who recycles anything judging by the contents of the bulk bin we all use.  Maybe they think I am mad??    Report

14/04/2008, 10:32 Helen Joined on 23/08/2004 12 Posts 138 Re: Taking out the rubbish !!   I don't know if its the same in all areas but  from the info sheet we were given: non sac jaune are:  'pots latier, sur emballages sacs et films en plastique, bouteilles d'huile, barquettes en polystyrene.' apparently they can't yet recyle things that have fat residue nor packaging that contains plastic 'trops fins' but hope to be able to do so in the future. As for washing it says ' Il suffit simplement de bien les vider ou de les racler pour qu'ils ne salissent pas les autres emballages. Il est inutile de les laver car l'eau consommee doit etre ensuite.... traitee.    Report

Page 1 of 2 (12 items) 1 2 >

France Forum » French Culture » French Culture » Taking out the rubbish !!

(Quick links) Forums Home |- Search Forums |- Active Topics |- Unanswered Posts User Options |- Sign In |- Join this community |- Forgot Password About This Forum (READ ONLY) |- About This Forum Moving |- Finding/Owning French Property |- Making the Move From Outside the EU |- Long-Term Letting |- Employment Vacancies in France Legal and Finance |- French Legal Issues |- French Finance Building and Renovation |- House Renovations |-- Working with Wood Living |- Earning a Living |- Driving |- French Education |- Pets |- Animal Welfare, Rescue & Protection |- French Satellite TV, French Internet and Telephone |- Health |-- Changes to Healthcare Entitlement, CPAM, CMU and Cartes Vitales |- Swimming Pools in France Owning/Running a Business |- French Artisans |- Gite Owners |- Hotel and Restaurant Owners |- B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners Leisure and Pastimes |- Gardening |- Sport, Leisure and Pastimes |- Shopping |- French Antiques, Arts & Crafts |- Photography |- Motorcycling in France |- Books and Literature |- Getting Married in France |- Pregnancy and Birth French Culture |- French Food and Wine |- French Culture |- French Language |-- French Language FAQs and Useful Links |- Wildlife/Nature/Environment |- French History Travelling to/from France |- Travelling to/from France |- Latest Good Value Deals to/from France Holidays |- Holidays General Discussion |- The Complete France Post Bag |- The Lighter Side |- Other Topics |- Forum Technical Support |- Useful Links About France/French Living Regions |- HOTEL SEARCH |- Central |- North East |- North West |- Paris Ile de France |- South East |- South West |- East |- West |- Corsica and DOM-TOMs