Why do we need litter bins - Or rather why we don't

All,

Today litter bins are being fitted on paths around the site
See picture dated 8th Jan for an example.

These are small smart black bins.  My first reaction was favourable.
But then I've being reflecting on all the rubbish I've been picking up for the last three weeks,

Our development is often rented by  some who don't have the strength nor motivation to make it all the way to the basura.
So all to often bags are left at the top of the steps  and by the road.  I've no idea why cannot walk over the road and complete the exercise of
correctly deposing of their rubbish.

So it does not take too much wit to predict that these small bins will quickly become overflowing because
they will appear to be conveniently situated point of disposal for general kitchen waste by those some tenants.

We already a have growing feral cat problem.  Unfortunately these cute furry things quickly rip open any bags laying around, scattering the contents.
So these bins will become a new food source to the roving band of kittens.  

Unless these small bins are going to be emptied daily I foresee a mess.

Why resident on site  would need dispose of casual items of waste between apartment and car I cannot fathom/.

Any thoughts on this one?

Paul,

I have looked at your picture of the small bins. The man on the bin is dropping something into a bin. Even though I have enlarged the picture I can't tell if he is dropping a cigarette end in or it may even be a feral cat.

Are the bins big enough to hold a cat?

Seriously, if the bins stop food wrappers and cigarette ends being left around then its good.

The business of bags being left around has to stop, in warm weather they will smell and before long we will have rats. I do not jest here about rats once we get rats they will get into the apartments as well.

At the townhouse in Manilva we get rats from the vineyard at certain times of the year and I see them near the basura bins (thats one of the reasons that basura bins are being moved underground, smell as well).

We have a rat exterminator man that calls every so often to put rat blocks down, if we see a rat we call him and he comes out and adds blocks near the sighting.

Last year we had a rat in the house, we discoved the bananas in the fruit bowl had neatly eaten holes in one morning. We found it in the lounge that eveing sat on top of the sideboard, it look me over an hour to chase it out of the back patio door. (the are bl***y fast when they want to be). And then at 1 in the morning after I had got it out it appeared on the bedroom balcony tapping at the window to get back it !!! Greta was not amused.

It had climbed up a bouganvilla and into gap between the bedroom window and shutter.

We need to get some notices put up to ensure the basuras are used. I know the positions are marked on maps in lifts but some people don't know that basura means rubbish. 

 

 

 

We don't need bins like this. As is said it will loead to more problens. Let's get them removced. I can see people putting dog mess in them!!!

Should we not wait and see if the bins are useful first and only remove them if they create problems.

I suspect the gardeners or cleaners will have the bin emptying added to their routine. 

I say we give the bins a chance!  Whenever I've been in DV the bins by the pools have been emptied regularly by someone.  I agree we should just make sure it becomes a duty of the cleaners or gardeners.

Caroline

I was horrified when I came home to find a "litter Bin" placed out side my entrance, I believe with others comments, they will be used by Lazy people, dumping their house hold rubbish bags, and the cats/rats will be encouraged to feed from them......To be honest there is not much litter around, the odd drinks carton, nothing that warrents a Bin every 10 metres along the path.
Get rid I say, before it creates a bigger vermin problem.
Unless of course they are emptied every day, which I very much doubt.

Every ten metres - wow , that is excessive!  I thought you were all referring to a few extras around the garden areas etc!

Caroline

I placed a few items (picked up from the path) in the bin outside my stair to see how long it takes for them to be emptied.

The bins are bolted into the concrete paths.
It would not take much effort to remove them should that be a community decision at some point in the future.

Jeff's amusing but also alarming account of the rat infestations makes me think this is more serious matter then I first thought.
Rats are intelligent creatures and will cleverly tap open food source.

Paul

Hi to all

We already have a Rat problem ,because we have seen them outside our block. Installing black bins will only increase the Rat problem and for that matter Cats as well. If these black bins are installed ,then in our veiw they will be abused by holiday  rentals who will use these bins as a shortcut to the Basra Bins, and before long we will see rubbish scattered all over

They seem more concerned about the black bins than they do about the important issues of security i wonder when they are going to wake up.

With regard to the AGM it seems to us that they release the date at short notice knowing full well that many owners will not be able to attend   (ie booking flights ect ) We should be pushing for a date now in order to give all owners enough time to attend.

Best Regards  Chris &  Chris

This message was last edited by cjb1 on 1/11/2008.

I have just come back from a short stay and without wanting to appear controversial  I think the bins are a welcome addition and would like them to stay although I do agree that they need to be emptied regularly if that is to be the case.  If people are going to abuse the bins then these are the same people who would be spreading rubbish wherever they like anyway if they were not there.  At least the bins set an expectation and a cleanliness standard. People abuse the main bins on the development but what would it be like if they were removed?

Steve

They have given more than sufficient notice for an AGM as only 6 days is necessary, see below.....in blue

If the Black Metal bins on the poles are used for normal litter we should not get a rat problem in them. They need rough surfaces to climb up, breeze block, timber, plants etc. The rats will live near the stream because they are attracted to water but will come looking for food. So no food waste in black bags should be left out. We have waste bins in the streets of Sabinillas, Manilva etc. I have never seen a Rat in these streets. So lets give the bins a chance.

Every body who has rentals needs to have a notice board in their property in say the kitchen area with the basic community rules and a large note about taking rubbish to the basura. We did this on my other community and it helps. I printer our rules off laminated them and they are oup in the kitchen of my house.

PS if you don't have a laminater buy some lamination sleeves, cut one up into strips use an iron on different settings starting from one * until you find the right temperature for your iron.

 

Taken from Horizontal Law Property Act

Section 16 para 3

(3) The annual general meeting shall be called with, at least, six days’ notice and extraordinary meetings shall be called with sufficient time to inform all parties concerned. A meeting not called by the president may be legally held provided all unit owners are present and willing.

y en Espanol

3. La citación para la junta ordinaria anual se hará, cuando menos, con seis días de antelación, y para las extraordinarias, con la que sea posible para que pueda llegar a conocimiento de todos los interesados. La junta podrá reunirse válidamente aun sin la convocatoria del Presidente, siempre que concurran la totalidad de los propietarios y así lo decidan.

This message was last edited by manilvajl on 1/16/2008.

I have posted some photos taken on Sunday of the abuse of the new black bins. I personally think it is a very bad idea as it doesn't matter how anti-rat the poles are when lazy residents are dumping their household waste in bin bags next to these new bins, then getting into their cars to drive off. Even worse they aren't even dumping it in the bins on their own doorsteps. Also as you will see in the photo, the bin was stuffed full of household waste that should have been disposed of in the basura. I proceeded to take the bag to the basuras beside the exit, only to find that there was also bin bags, boxes etc left lying around the chutes to the basura. Giving the weather lately this could have been blown all over the development. I know from personnel experience that it can be difficult to get waste to go down the chute but just leaving it besdie the bins is pure laziness, there are large bins down beside the golf course where this waste can be disposed of if people can't take the time to empty or tear up their waste to fit in the basuras. 

I think this should be brought up at the AGM, to remove most of these black bin and to post notices around the development advising to put all household waste in the basuras and not to leave any waste on the ground around the bins as we will soon have a vermin problem on our hands.

Also I find it very bad that all the street lights on the lower road are no longer on at night, I agree that there were too many street lights in the first place but surely they could have done what has been done on the other roads where only 1 in every 4 or 5 lights. These lights seem to have been out after a storm around Christmas time.

Apart from my rants above I am thoroughly enjoying my time at DV and look forward to the summer.

IanJo.

ianjo,

Street Lights

Pete's blog reads
"Between 21st to 23rd December, DV had three days and three nights of heavy rain. During the nights the staircases sounded like waterfalls.
On the second night the downpour took out the street lighting on the lower road from block 8 down to the paddle courts. The lights are still out of service at the time of writing. It may be just a fuse but clearly something somewhere is not as waterproof as it needs to be."

Seems like that they have still not been fixed. 
Any fix needs to be thorough though.  We don't want the lights popping out every time we have torrential rain.

Is this an item for the Site Snag List?

Paul

ianjo,

Bins.

Call that ranting?

your experience is that same as mine.

Last time there I spent some hours in total cleaning up rubbish   left by   renters.   I just got sick of seeing  the garbage left lying around each day.

My suggestion is   Fines   Euro 100  for every offence.   If committed by a renter then the owner pays.
Fines to  fund  daily litter picking service.

CVT  will hopefully enable offenders to be identified.

Personally   I think offenders should be  birtched  - 100 lashers at least.  Call me an old  fashioned  right winger if you like.  But we need something that works
to stop the filth.

Now that's what I call a RANT.

Paul

While I agree that the rubbish left by the bins etc is terrible I don't think taking away the bins would stop it.  The sort of lazy, inconsiderate people who dump waste next to bins would just dump bin bags outside of their apartments if they weren't there (as many renters did when I was out in summer before the installation of the bins). 

I agree that there should be penalties for people caught on cctv dumping rubbish inappropriately.  I do hope we can get recycling skips at DV soon though as I found it frustrating trying to fold cardboard boxes small enough to fit into the basuras after being asked not to deposit anything in some skips by another community.

Caroline

This message was last edited by carolinej on 2/28/2008.