My World: Bin good

Numerous photos have been uploaded to Twitter and Facebook with captions ‘OMG 2 weeks now and still no bin men in sight!!!!’ or something equally observant.

But I pose you a question, people of Rotherham. Are there not positives to be taken from our dirty streets?

Let me explain.

I feel that in the last two weeks I have got to know my neighbours better than the last six months I have lived on my current street.

As I have mentioned in this column before myself and my partner moved into our first house together earlier this year. It is a mid terrace and we are surrounded by other residents of the street.

But these last two weeks have given me a greater insight into my neighbours’ lives than the last six months rolled into one.

For example, I have never seen, met or spoken to the residents of number 51, two doors up.

I wouldn’t know them if they walked past me in the street and shouted ‘I live at 51’ in my face at point blank range.

But I do now know that they drink a lot of red wine, and that they seem to like beans and sausage in a tin.

And what about the family across the road? Well someone in that house is a lager drinker, squashed cans of Fosters spilling out of the blue bin.

The end terrace down the hill, they seem to have rather a lot of take away food. Their black bin is brimming with pizza boxes, polystyrene boxes and those foil cartons that the local Chinese takeaway use.

So I say ‘thank you’ to the council for giving me a better insight into the people who live around me.

Without your lack of planning, foresight and problem solving, I now know what to speak to the residents of 51 about if I ever do bump into them.