29 September 2014

Do the recycling thieves annoy you?

Well they do annoy some people and so I asked a question that was answered in the most recent Council meeting agenda. The Eastern Couriers article makes interesting reading. The comments posted on line seem to go about 50:50 and has raised a lot of comment. Many people miss the point in this: that is if you want to donate your bottles/cans to whoever comes by then leave them in a box beside the bin. If you want them to go to Unley Council then put them in the bin. If you want to donate them to a worthwhile charity of your choice then collect them and drop them of at the scouts or guides or someone else that is doing good work. From my experience it is not the needy going through the bin.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/east-hills/unley-council-calls-for-a-crackdown-on-thieves-taking-recyclables-from-private-wheelie-bins/story-fni9lkyu-1227073730000

3 comments:

  1. This got a bit of radio time today with good debate on either side.

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  2. Jennie, I used to be annoyed by bottle thieves, especially late at night. More so by the noise they made. These days they seem to stick to daylight hours. I've noticed that they (in my case, it's a little old woman) look only for visible bottles and cans on the top section rather than poke through the whole bin.
    I've now mellowed and am more tolerant of people checking bins.
    Is it really worth getting upset about? If you or I were down and out of luck, shouldn't we have a right to scrape together what we could?
    Regarding putting a box of bottles next to the bin - sorry that's illegal and shouldn't be encouraged.The resident would then be at fault if there were an accident.
    For more of my thoughts visit Bob's Blog

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  3. Bob, I'm not getting upset about this, just wondering if the revenue lost to Council is worth pursuing? 18,000 bins collect bi-weekly with 5 bottles worth 10 cents each is nearly $250,000 per annum.

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