What a load of rubbish...

During my last stint as a homeowner, I used to go to reasonable lengths to ensure my rubbish was dealt with in an eco-friendly manner; particularly separating paper and glass from the remainder of the rubbish to take a trip down to the local bottle/paper banks every now and then. I suppose the fact that they were less than 5 minutes away in the car helped matters.

Imagine my surprise then, nay delight, when I discovered that the bungalow comes complete with a whole host of bins:
Green wheelie bin - general waste (as long as it fits in the bin, I guess it's fair game)
Brown wheelie bin - garden waste or brown cardboard (non glossy and without sellotape please)
Orange box - empty food/drinks cans (rinsed out please)
Blue box - newspapers, magazines, junk mail (but no envelopes please)
Green box - glass bottles & jars (rinsed out and without tops & lids please)

On the specified days (timetables for the forthcoming next year supplied) we're instructed to present the appropriate receptacle on the boundary of the property (i.e. where it meets the pavement) where it will be returned once emptied.

Well excuse me, but when did we suddenly get so fussy about our rubbish? I know I've moved into quite a nice area but this seems a bit over the top considering all of the neighbours I've met so far are as "normal" as I am. The heaps of leaflets detailing timetables and strict instructions for segregation are also littered with threats that "It will be necessary to reject any container found to have any items which will contaminate the load".

I'm not an unreasonable man and I can understand some of their reasoning, but having gone to the extent of segregating the significant amount of rubbish I'm accumulating since unpacking everything after the move and having "presented the appropriate receptacle on the boundary of my property" on the appropriate day, I think I'm justified in being completely pissed off to get home from work tonight and find the green wheelie bin only lighter in contents by the weight of one half filled bin liner from the top (which, for the record, was still within the confines of a bin with a closed lid). How the hell am I supposed to continue with the pre-seasonal clearout?

I hope I get the chance to catch one of the lazy bastards sniffing around for a Christmas tip...