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# Tim Hobbs (.net)

a blog about me, my world and its bins

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.timhobbs.net/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [The Wisdom of Tim](https://www.timhobbs.net/the-wisdom-of-tim/) - This is some heading stuff...
- [I'll give you £2 to put my bin out](https://www.timhobbs.net/2025/04/ill-give-you-2-to-put-my-bin-out/) - I have four bins, two collected fortnightly and two collected 4 weekly, making a total of 78 collections per year. I have to put these bins in a collection point at the entrance to our close. The council say I can put my bin out after noon on the day before collection, and it must
- [Who needs your services anyway?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2023/05/who-needs-your-services-anyway/) - When you design and promote your waste and recycling services, do you know who they are for? If you don't then how can you meet their needs?
- [Understanding the cost of assisted collections](https://www.timhobbs.net/2022/08/understanding-the-cost-of-assisted-collections/) - Assisted collections are an essential service for many households. I took a look at the additional costs of this service.
- [How to work flexibly without actually snapping](https://www.timhobbs.net/2021/11/how-to-work-flexibly-without-actually-snapping/) - I've long been an advocate of flexible working. Our business lends itself quite well to it and we've been doing it for a long time, so it's become normal and the default. We have a culture of flexibility. Need to pick the kids up at 3pm? OK. Want to start at 6am so you can
- [Sony Xperia X1](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/03/sony-xperia-x1/) - I wrote recently about my dream smartphone, wondering if it would every really exist. A friend just sent me info on this gorgeous wee beast. I'm a self-confessed Sony fan and I reckon this would just about fit the bill perfectly. It will no doubt be priced for its target market (i.e. pretty high). In my view,
- [How many devices does one man need?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/02/how-many-devices-does-one-man-need/) - ...and how many can he realistically carry? For years I worked as a laptop-only worker. Office, home, train, hotel - the trusty laptop did the job with a variety of accessories such as data cards, USB sticks (which I invariably lose within 2 weeks) and external drives. It worked - I always had the files
- [I Don't Want a German Car](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/03/i-dont-want-a-german-car/) - As a rule, I dislike making the obvious choice. It’s much more interesting to do something a bit unexpected, particularly when buying stuff. At home I run Windows on a Mac, I bought a PS3 at a time when all rational folk were buying Wiis and X-Boxes and my company car (mostly used for long-haul
- [Back-ups!](https://www.timhobbs.net/2014/01/back-ups/) - I take a lot of photographs, quite a few videos and also try to keep MP3 copies of all my CD's. In addition I have guitar tabs, emails and all sorts of other data which I really need to keep. Although a good deal of my stuff is now 'in the cloud' I like to
- [Parkrun Photo and Video Policy](https://www.timhobbs.net/2016/09/parkrun-photo-and-video-policy/) - I’ve been a Parkrun regular for almost 18 months now. Since May 2015 I’ve been to 7 different venues with my son, daughter, two nieces and my sister and brother in law. 2 weeks ago my 13 year old daughter completed her 50th Junior park run for her ‘Ultra’ band, to add to the 34
- [Wanted : Politicians](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/07/wanted-politicians/) - As a kid I was quite interested in political debate and discussion. I'm no activist - I've never carried a placard and I only enjoy rallies if they have fast cars, but I did have fairly well-formed views on current affairs and would argue the toss until the cows came home. From being 18 right
- [Variable waste charges cause cancer!  You couldn't make it up...](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/variable-waste-charges-cause-cancer-you-couldnt-make-it-up/) - Well, I rather suspect that someone has! I've long suspected that certain newspapers and other media outlets have simply decided that waste collection is one of their 'old faithful' subjects that they can simply reheat every time they have a slow news day, alongside 'who killed Princess Diana' and 'chocolate is good for you' (or
- [Bin tags - revenue raiser or tools for reducing Council Tax?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/bin-tags-revenue-raiser-or-tools-for-reducing-council-tax/) - I’m not a tax inspector or a traffic warden. It’s worse than that – I work in the waste collection industry. Admit that, even in polite circles, and you might as well add “I’ll get my coat”. It seems that everyone has an opinion on the role of technology in waste collection, usually underpinned by
- [Open Letter from the LGA regarding Landfill Tax revenues](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/open-letter-from-the-lga-regarding-landfill-tax-revenues/) - It is a popular argument against 'pay as you throw' that this is simply another stealth tax designed to swell Whitehall coffers at the expense of Council Tax payers. The Government has often claimed in its 'marketing' of variable charging schemes for waste that 'revenue neutrality' will be transparent and will reduce costs for effective
- [How many Councils will apply to run a 'Pay as you throw' trial?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/01/how-many-councils-will-apply-to-run-a-pay-as-you-throw-trial/) - It was widely reported on 1st January in the national press that in a recent survey not one Council was planning to apply for a pilot scheme. To quote the Daily Mail "But a survey of 100 local authorities found that not a single one even wanted to take part in an initial trial run.".
- [Pay as you throw - it's already here and appears to be working!](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/5/) - Blaby District Council introduced the UK's first variable charging scheme for household waste in 2000. The scheme was designed to restrict householders to 140 litres of non recyclable waste per week, and gave householders the option to purchase additional capacity and waste services as and when required. Variable_Charging_at_Blaby_District_Council.pdf The intention was that by restricting the
- [Couple fund honeymoon with recycled litter](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/couple-fund-honeymoon-with-recycled-litter/) - A couple from Hampshire have hit the news by collecting enough AirMiles from recycling litter they picked up from the streets at the local Tesco store. It’s one of those ‘and finally’ stories that run at the end of the news, but it does raise a few interesting questions (not all of them entirely serious)…
- [More Daily Mail rabble-rousing over pay as you throw](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/01/more-daily-mail-rabble-rousing-over-pay-as-you-throw/) - Article here It's been fairly quiet on the 'Council Bin Tax Killed Princess Diana' hysteria front, and I suspect New Year's Day was a slow news day. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the Daily Mail chose to run yet another re-hash of its opposition to variable waste charges under the guise of 'news'.The key
- [Does recycling have a real impact on emissions from landfill?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/01/does-recycling-have-a-real-impact-on-emissions-from-landfill/) - Councils are constantly (and rightly) on a continued crusade to reduce the amount of waste they collect from homes and take to landfill. There are several factors in this the increasing landfill taxes make reduction or diversion to recycling economically essential landfill space is running out (although some dispute this) and alternative facilties such as
- [Are the Conservatives losing the argument on 'bin taxes'?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2008/10/are-the-conservatives-losing-the-argument-on-bin-taxes/) - The Guardian reports that Conservative shadow Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has threatened to expose Conservative councillors who get involved in variable charging schemes as 'collaborators'. I'm not quite sure what conclusions I draw from this. Obviously domestic rubbish collection and recycling is seen as an area where the Opposition can garner significant public support; the
- [The Truth About Recycling](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/03/the-truth-about-recycling/) - At last, a well written, balanced and accurate assessment of 'how recycling works'. This should be required reading for all politicians and special interest groups who think we can just keep on shoving waste in a black bin and tipping it into the ground. The simple truth is that we have a constant supply of
- [What's really happening in Harrow?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/02/whats-really-happening-in-harrow/) - A story, first run in the Daily Telegraph and subsequently picked up by the BBC and the Daily Mail (so far) reports that Harrow's bin men will be 'profiling streets' to record recycling activity, paving the way to introducing 'pay as you throw' waste charges. My employer, Bartec Systems, is named as the supplier of
- [Is the Government having another try with 'pay as you throw'?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/05/is-the-government-having-another-try-with-pay-as-you-throw/) - The Daily Mail today carries a story about one of their favourite subjects - bin taxes. It reports that the Government is trying for push these through again after failing to attract any interest in its 'pilot schemes'. Not surprisingly, the report is entirely negative and presents 'pay as you throw' as another Gordon Brown
- [Google StreetView just saved me hours...](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/06/google-streetview-just-saved-me-hours/) - Much has been said about Google Streetview; it's an invasion of privacy, it's utterly pointless etc etc. Well today we used it at work and it saved us a huge number of man hours. We are currently working with a UK council to digitise their waste collection service, starting from entirely manual systems. Before we
- [It must never happen again....](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/08/60/) - Last night I watched “The Miner’s Strike” on the telly. This morning I read a heartfelt and well-reasoned blog post on the subject, and felt compelled to add my tuppence-worth. I was 13 at the time and the program simply reminded me of my perspective at the time. Born and bred in Wakefield, we too
- [Ferry good indeed](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/09/ferry-good-indeed/) - I travel to Ireland quite a bit, and although I love the place it's frankly a pain in the arse if you want to get to anywhere other than Dublin. At the moment I mostly travel to a place about an hour south-east of Limerick. There are three airport options - Shannon, which isn't well
- [Why Engineers Shouldn't Design Stuff!](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/why-engineers-shouldnt-design-stuff/) - It's a small complaint. In a world where people starve, kill each other and worse, this is going to sound like an absurd middle-class whinge. Which it is, but here goes anyway. It rained yesterday. Not just the ordinary rain that we get on a regular basis, but the really heavy stuff that bounces off
- [I pay your wages (and i'm happy to)](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/i-pay-your-wages-and-im-happy-to/) - Sitting this morning in one of Barnsley's recently refurbished park play areas with a coffee and a twix I got to pondering just what I get for my council ta (which for the record is just north of £100 per month). More to the point I thought about how it stacks up against my other
- [Bin collections - a matter of life and death?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/01/bin-collections-a-matter-of-life-and-death/) - In the current snowy conditions, with all the relevant agencies and motoring organisations warning against non-essential travel, Twitter is alive with the sound of people moaning that their bins are not being collected. It is a collision of two great British media obsessions - the weather and bins. I haven't yet seen the Daily Express
- [The more I go to Church, the more atheist I become](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/01/the-more-i-go-to-church-the-more-atheist-i-become/) - A few weeks ago I was at yet another funeral. Oddly enough I find funerals to be rather uplifting affairs, bringing together a family and giving everyone a chance to reflect on the brevity of life and the limited time we have to do something really meaningful with it. For me, a lifelong atheist, nothing
- [Deal or No Deal](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/05/deal-or-no-deal/) - I should imagine that many Liberal Democrats have spent today agonising over what should now be done. To the injury of a dreadful election result we may now be about to add the insult of a Lib-Con coalition. Many have recoiled in horror at that thought, myself included. Labour and Conservative politicians alike scoff at
- [Why the coalition has got it wrong on 'bin tax'](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/06/why-the-coalition-has-got-it-wrong-on-bin-tax/) - In the early days of office the coalition government, as represented by Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for communities and local government) and Caroline Spelman (Secretary of State for Environment) have set out their policies for waste collection. Setting aside the question of whether we need a national ruling for a service which is delivered
- [Where are all the gritters?](https://www.timhobbs.net/2021/02/where-are-all-the-gritters/) - I was recently tagged in a LinkedIn post about gritter tracking data from Traffic Scotland. You can see the data in question here. It's becoming more common for local authorities and government agencies such as Traffic Scotland and Highways England to show their gritter locations online. This has often, as in this case, been accompanied
- [Charlotte at Slaley](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/04/charlotte-at-slaley/) - Charlotte at Slaley Originally uploaded by Tim S Hobbs
- [Buster](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/04/buster/) - Buster Originally uploaded by Tim S Hobbs Buster, our late faithful Border Collie. Always brave and loyal.
- [My Purple Princess](https://www.timhobbs.net/2010/04/my-purple-princess-2/) - My Purple Princess Originally uploaded by Tim S Hobbs test
- [Egyptian Pharoah at Ernee (again)](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/egyptian-pharoah-at-ernee-again/) - The post body
- [The Pharoah at Ernee](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/the-pharoah-at-ernee/)
- [Tossing the Mortar Boards](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/tossing-the-mortar-boards/)
- [Mandy Outside the Minster](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/mandy-outside-the-minster/)
- [Charlotte and William at Blackpool](https://www.timhobbs.net/2009/11/test/)

## Pages

- [About Me](https://www.timhobbs.net/) - Hello, Firstly, thank you for looking at my blog. These stories and opinions are my own and I'd love to read any comments you have, regardless of whether you agree with me or not. I'm a fifty-something father of two from South Yorkshire. I run a software company making computer systems for the waste industry.
- [Trunce - 2nd June 2025](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/running/trunce-2nd-june-2025/)
- [Penistone Hill Race 18th September 2016](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/running/penistone-hill-race-18th-september-2016/)
- [Photography](https://www.timhobbs.net/photography/) - Sports Travel Cars Family Wildlife Events
- [The Golden Gate Bridge](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/san-francisco-and-las-vegas-2018/a-few-days-in-san-francisco/the-golden-gate-bridge/) - You cannot visit San Francisco and not visit the Golden Gate Bridge. We visited it, we photographed it, we drove across it and through the Robin Williams tunnel. One of those things that you can only do in one place in the world...
- [A Few Days in San Francisco](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/san-francisco-and-las-vegas-2018/a-few-days-in-san-francisco/) - We weren't here for long, but we really made the most of it. The first thing to do is to marvel at the streets. They really are steep and driving here for the first time (especially after a long haul flight) is a bit daunting. The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic sight, straddling the
- [Mustang Road Trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/san-francisco-and-las-vegas-2018/) - In 2018 I had to go to Las Vegas to attend the SEMA trade show. It seemed like a good opportunity to tack on a holiday, which then turned into a road trip from San Francisco. To really make it a trip to remember we decided to get married in Vegas and treat the week #
- [Alcatraz By Night](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/san-francisco-and-las-vegas-2018/a-few-days-in-san-francisco/alcatraz-by-night/) - The other 'must visit' whilst in San Francisco is Alcatraz. We were advised to visit at night for the full effect and we did not regret it. The trip is well organised with your own personal 'walkman' to guide you at your own pace (although I don't know if COVID changed that?).
- [San Francisco Botanical Gardens](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/san-francisco-and-las-vegas-2018/a-few-days-in-san-francisco/san-francisco-botanical-gardens/) - If you want to escape the busy cityscape and enjoy some quiet California sunshine then I recommend a trip to the Botanical Gardens. Before you do, check out the Beanery coffee shop on 9th Avenue. It's a proper coffee shop and if you want to get away from the inevitable Starbucks stuff I recommend it.
- [Travel](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/) - San Francisco & Las Vegas New Orleans
- [New Orleans, May 2023](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/new-orleans-may-2023/) - A trip to the Waste Expo and some time spent in the French Quarter, at the Jazz Festival and on Honey Island Swamp. Although the French Quarter is something of a tourist-trap there are plenty of opportunities for street photography, and of course some great food. Jazz Festival We were fortunate enough to arrive at
- [Family](https://www.timhobbs.net/family/) - I haven't got around to this page yet...
- [Food and Drink](https://www.timhobbs.net/food-and-drink/) - I love to eat good food, and sometimes really bad food too. Once-in-a-lifetime fine dining experiences or the guilty pleasure of a Double Whopper; it's all good! Either way I'll be snapping pictures of my plate so I can attempt to reconstruct the dish at home.
- [Waste and Recycling](https://www.timhobbs.net/waste-and-recycling/) - I am the CEO of Bartec Municipal Technologies, a company working in the municipal recycling and environment sector to modernise the way we deal with waste. Since joining the business as a software developer (employee #2) in 1995 we've grown it to almost 40 people. Now 1 in 3 British local authorities use our tech
- [Wildlife](https://www.timhobbs.net/animals/) - Flora, fauna and pets
- [GP Masters 2006, Silverstone](https://www.timhobbs.net/cars/gp-masters-200x/)
- [Another Place 2017](https://www.timhobbs.net/travel/another-place-2017/)
- [Nostell, 27th August 2016](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/park-runs/nostell-27th-august-2016/)
- [Running](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/running/) - Pictures from local running events
- [Park Runs](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/park-runs/) - Cricket pictures
- [Red Bull Air Race, 2005](https://www.timhobbs.net/events/red-bull-air-race-2006/) - Red Bull Air Race, Longleat 7th August 2005
- [Jaguar XJ-S](https://www.timhobbs.net/cars/jaguar-xj-s/)
- [Events](https://www.timhobbs.net/events/) - Various events
- [Cricket 23rd July 2006](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/cricket/cricket-23rd-july-2006/)
- [Cricket 8th July 2006](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/cricket/cricket-8th-july-2006/)
- [Cricket 11th June 2006](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/cricket/cricket-11th-june-2006/)
- [Cricket 5th August 2006](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/cricket/cricket-5th-august-2006/)
- [Cricket](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/cricket/) - Cricket pictures
- [Sports](https://www.timhobbs.net/sports/) - Pictures of various sports
- [Cars](https://www.timhobbs.net/cars/) - Pictures of cars
- [Off-Roading](https://www.timhobbs.net/cars/off-roading/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.timhobbs.net/category/uncategorized/)
- [Photographic](https://www.timhobbs.net/category/photographic/)
- [Waste](https://www.timhobbs.net/category/waste/) - Waste industry stuff
- [Wisdom](https://www.timhobbs.net/category/wisdom/)

## Tags

- [snow](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/snow/)
- [binmen](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/binmen/)
- [waste collection](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/waste-collection/)
- [ice](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/ice/)
- [bin tax](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/bin-tax/)
- [Caroline Spelman](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/caroline-spelman/)
- [Eric Pickles](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/eric-pickles/)
- [RecycleBank](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/recyclebank/)
- [google](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/google/)
- [streetview](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/streetview/)
- [bins](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/bins/)
- [HMO](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/hmo/)
- [waste](https://www.timhobbs.net/tag/waste/)