New cycle of life for old rubbish

The number of children you have should determine the number of wheelie bins you have. I say this because a minor domestic crisis has emerged with the arrival of a D·n Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council wheelie bin at our door. It's not big enough for the rubbish of your average young family - at least not mine.

Don't try overfilling it - this bin must have its lid completely closed or the binmen will ignore it. And don't try leaving extra bin bags beside it - you may find the binmen won't take anything at all then, not even the contents of the wheelie bin.

Yet there is no way a family with three kids, two cats and a dog can get all its garbage into one wheelie bin. Every week, we've got at least three bin bags left over.

So I rang DLRCC to discuss the possibility of getting a second wheelie bin and spoke to a helpful official named Valerie. The criteria for a second bin are not written in stone, but usually a family with four or more children can get a second bin.

I've only got three children so, short of throwing caution to the winds and having another baby, does an au pair count?

You could try it, said Valerie.

But I really shouldn't get a second bin because from next year the bins will be charged by weight. Wasn't it about time the whole family got involved in recycling, she suggested. Valerie says we also need to organise a separate dumping bin for recyclable bottles - one for plastic and one for glass.

Next year the council will start distributing green bins for recyclable products, which will be collected once a month. Until then, you have to take the recyclables someplace to be recycled. In the DLRCC area, it's Ballyogan Tiphead, near Foxrock.

Lots of families have their recycling area in the garden shed, she said. Get the children to help. They'll be happy to get involved. "After all, it's their future."

Valerie says we also need to get a compost bin - £15 from DLRCC. Some families are even selling their compost, she says.