Island Echo always welcomes letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff. Letter to the editor – 11th June 2024
“We have a small car and are unable to take our 2 old single bed mattresses in it to the rubbish dump. “We decided to put them in our old VW campervan so rang up the council hoping for a slot the next day, as have family coming to stay. We were informed that we can only do it by them sending out some sort of scratch card allowing me to visit the site with a van, for free, up to 12 times a year. This will be in the post so allow up to 10 days for delivery – and then ring up to book a slot. Really! “I only want one visit. Why can’t they just take my booking for two mattresses? “What a ridiculous system that we pay our council tax for. The council complain about the increase in fly-tipping and now I am beginning to realise why. I’m very tempted to dump them outside the council offices and let them organise disposal”.
K Veitch Isle of Wight
Why are you ringing up the council, you can book it online.
Thinking the same thing…
It’s a good system, better than before covid.
I think you are in the minority.
I’m sure if you tightly rolled your mattresses and tied them with cord you could have atleast taken 1 in your small car.
Why did you phone the council and not just booked your camper online?
The helpful guy’s and Girl at The tip wouldn’t stop you just unloading 2 mattresses.
The irony is they don’t often ask for the scratch card anyway.
Book your car in for a slot, put the mattresses in your camper van and drive both vehicles to Robin Hill, place the mattresses on the car roof, tie them on, drive gently to the tip. Unload and go home.
It is basic common sense
Better idea, strap the mattresses to the roof
and let them blow off in the wind
Lol
Then a Numpty from the Council can pick them up,
they won’t get refused / turned away or require a
Poxy scratchcard.
You sir are a buffoon! What would be a much greater use of common sense is to revert to the old system of not having to book at all? And whilst yes that did result in a build up of traffic at peak times it was a far simpler system to manage.
Who on earth thought booking timeslots at a rubbish dump was a good idea? At the very least make it less draconian with regards to number of bookings allowed etc
‘timeslots’ reduce the likelihood of accidents due to vehicles queuing up outside the refuse sites!! Lyn Bottom especially.
This is ridiculous. What a waste of time writing a letter about such a trivial issue. Island Echo obviously having a slow week if this the most engaging and enlightening letter in the mail bag. Some ideas:
1) Unless you have a smartcar you must be able to roll or cut up a single mattress so that it fits your car (you may need to do two trips).
2) ask a friend to take it for you (I presume there’s no law against this?).
3) pay the £42 for a bulky waste collection from your house.
4) learn the rules and get on with it.
You’re welcome.
Ridiculous system. Some of those hi-vis staff are so rude up there, too! Barking order’s abt where to put stuff!! It all ends up in Malaysia on a heap anyway… biggest load of BS ever…
I don’t see why we need to book slots it all ends up there anyway
this council has its head up its arse.
Sounds like IW Council are encouraging people to fly tip.
The system is not fit for purpose like most services on the island.
Yes exactly the same thing happened to me. Borrowed the works van to dump some larger items that wouldn’t go in the van, told the same thing. Daft system
Agreed on stupid rule as you have a camper, every time I have been to tip it’s always mainly traders with vans and trailers yet that’s ok but for member of public with domestic waste you can’t just turn up. Anyhow guess we still lucky at least can still dump mattress, some mainland are refusing as well as sofa’s. Can you not collect vouchers from County Hall?.Book on line and chance it ?. Good luck.
Wow wow wow, hang on a minute. One the staff up there have never been rude, one they have camera’s on them to record interaction with the public. 2 what’s the problem with booking a slot just laziness on people who can’t be bothered to do it
Yes the iow tip is a joke rude staff, also, it would appear that nearly all goes to landfill, in Dorset they have shipping containers in which you can leave half full tins of paint/fencing preservation etc and another for electrical items that still work, why can’t this be done on the island ?
Was a bit like that on Forest road until it shut….
There are many services that We pay for that have gone to pot. Ever tried calling the police… they might come the next day. Dentist… not much chance. Doctors appointments…pffft. Let’s not go into the floaty bridge. Makes You wonder what exactly We are paying for.
You need to gat better organised and prepared. Stop having a tantrum when your understanding of the system is deficient. Instructions on how to use the facility are readily available. Perhaps if you spent the time you have in corresponding to this website in preparing to visit the tip then you wouldn’t have a problem. You’re welcome.
I will carry on dumping my stuff in people bins and on the streets
I started to lose the will to live when I read this
Just burn them in your back garden?
Well at least you aren’t moaning about it, that’s the main thing
The new system works well. I was sceptical, but proven wrong. Well done IOW Council.
As newcomers to the Island, we visited the tip in Freshwater and the scratch card was explained to us as we have a pickup truck as well as our car. Although you are advised to allow ten days for delivery, ordered on line, the scratch card arrived in the post the next day. Having lived variously in Dorset, Devon and now the Isle of Wight in the last ten years, in my experience the provision on the Island is streets ahead of the other two counties. The staff who run the Freshwater site in particular are incredibly helpful and very friendly. I understand the frustration of the author of this letter in their circumstances but if you look at the provision and how it works across the board it is actually very fair to everyone.
Booking at weekends might be necessary to prevent long queues but is booking during the week necessary? What’s wrong with ringing up and getting a positive answer there and then. It does seem rather red tape and unhelpful..
So who makes the rules? It’s not the council. It’s the private contractor, who frequently make things up.