We bought an eco mattress last year from Argos,  they took the other one away free of charge. Itâs a beautiful mattress,  very expensive,  but well worth it and it can go on the compost heap when itâs had itâs day.  Not a bit of oil based material in it,  all cotton and sheepâs wool.  I have a feeling it will last for many years.Â
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.Â
I think you will struggle to find companies who will take the old items away without even a nominal charge. If they can't be reused they will have to pay for their disposal. If the old sofas have tags on them saying they meet current fire regs, a lot of charities will take them.
My new neighbours are not making a good impression. We're not allowed any bin bags outside our wheelie bins and the lid is supposed to be totally shut or the bin police will drag you away for re-education. Yesterday though a mysterious bin bag appeared alongside our bin. The neighbour is on the opposite side of the road and clearly decided that it would absolve them of blame if they dumped it on our side. They also put their wheelie bin right in the middle of the pavement which is another pet hate of mine.
This is on top of dumping their cat outside on bonfire night, leaving their security light on all night and being selfish with their parking habits. I bet they're the type of people who like plastic grass.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
We are about to be switched from black bags to wheelie bins. I have spoken to my council re my location, living at the end of a 80 yds private lane, not owned by me and 82 years old. I was told they would speak to the refuse collection firm to arrange for my refuse to be collected from my house. That was over a month ago, So far, "not surprisingly!!" nothing has happened. I am gathering energy to tackle the matter again. I do have 2 neighbours, a man who works away from home most of the time and a single Mum with 2 young children and a load of animals to look after. I do not feel it is right for me to ask either of them to help me every week. The woman in the council office I spoke to was shocked that so far I have been putting my refuse in the back of my car to drive it to the end of the lane, what else could I do? I am not going to drag a wheelie bin up and down the lane, I suppose I could leave it on the roadside verge but feel it will be blown onto the road with all of the storms we have down here. Time will tell.
...The woman in the council office I spoke to was shocked that so far I have been putting my refuse in the back of my car to drive it to the end of the lane,...
Obviously not shocked enough to get something done about it! I hope you get it sorted out.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@Joyce Goldenlily we have a recycling wheelie bin and a general waste wheelie.  The size of the bin allocated depends on the size of the household. We can put all recyclables in the yellow bin as is but the council requires us to put general waste in a black, biodegradeable bag in the black bin, presumably because it can get smellier.
Perhaps you could persuade your council to give you a larger bin so it only needs emptying once a month and then the collectors could come up the private road on a set week and not every week.
Either way, they need a reminder by telephone and, if possible, by registered letter and with a copy sent to your local councillor and MP if push comes to shove.
Right at this moment I have so many "projects" to sort out, that I am feeling exasperated at how much time and effort it takes me to get results. Nothing is straightforward. This week I had an e-mail informing me a parcel was ready to be delivered. No time slot and it needed a signature. I waited until mid-afternoon and then found another e-mail saying it would be delivered between 4.15 and 5.15 pm. It was not delivered. The next morning I was sent another e-mail telling me the delivery had been re-scheduled. Again I had to wait until lunchtime when an e-mail told me the package was on its way and due to be delivered between 3.30 and 4.30 pm so that was another day stuck at home. It eventually arrived at 4.45 pm. No explanation or apology. Grrhhh!
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Itâs a beautiful mattress, Â very expensive, Â but well worth it and it can go on the compost heap when itâs had itâs day. Â Not a bit of oil based material in it, Â all cotton and sheepâs wool. Â I have a feeling it will last for many years.Â
Perhaps you could persuade your council to give you a larger bin so it only needs emptying once a month and then the collectors could come up the private road on a set week and not every week.
Either way, they need a reminder by telephone and, if possible, by registered letter and with a copy sent to your local councillor and MP if push comes to shove.
Nothing is straightforward.
This week I had an e-mail informing me a parcel was ready to be delivered. No time slot and it needed a signature. I waited until mid-afternoon and then found another e-mail saying it would be delivered between 4.15 and 5.15 pm. It was not delivered. The next morning I was sent another e-mail telling me the delivery had been re-scheduled. Again I had to wait until lunchtime when an e-mail told me the package was on its way and due to be delivered between 3.30 and 4.30 pm so that was another day stuck at home. It eventually arrived at 4.45 pm. No explanation or apology. Grrhhh!