Well, that was the best week off in the world… ever!
After nine days with my mobile phone turned off (heavenly), I am completely refreshed and relaxed. I’ve beaten the garden into shape and cleaned the house from top to bottom. And I discovered, while I was at it, how much time, faff and cash I can save by using a garden refuse collection service. Who says my life isn’t filled to the brim with thrills and excitement!
The wet spring and early summer meant our garden grew to gigantic proportions without us really noticing, and anyway it was too soggy to go out and tackle the spreading jungle. So last week I got out there in the sunshine and trimmed back a load of shrubs, bushes and a vast evergreen clematis. I cut down our mile-a-minute completely because it’d gone completely crazy. And chopped back a large shrub in the front garden that was cutting out the light.
By the time I’d finished I had a huge heap of vegetation including loads of branches and stems, none of which were suitable for the compost heap. One phone call and £55 later, some nice men had taken it away and I was free and clear. Ouch. Expensive.
It’s bound to happen again now our garden has grown to maturity and beyond. So I decided there must be a cheaper way.
A little research on Google returned a company in Lewes that collects garden waste every couple of weeks, just like the bin men. The deal includes a massive black 240 Litre wheelie bin, which sits out of the way in our side passage, and the service costs just £78 a year (around £1.50 a week).
I’ve already almost managed to fill it up with stuff I can’t compost, and our first collection takes place next Monday.
If I take into account the amount of petrol we’d use taking our garden refuse to the tip at least once a month, plus the time spent cleaning the inside of the car afterwards and the time spent on the task itself, £1.50 a week is a clear winner in the bargain stakes!
