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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1h

Only scoring 5½ on @guestimators.bsky.social yet still being 96% of the way up the rankings might be my best worst score. Or my worst best score?

If you didn't play, see the questions and answers here and score yourself: www.guestimators.com/quiz061025

Hello Smylers 👋

You scored 5.5 out of 10 on this week’s quiz: Swift, Spice and School Dinnerladies. The average score was 3.5 and Bush scored 2.

You scored the same or better than 96.2% of your fellow Guestimators.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 11h

The print shop we used also printed things for Microsoft, who apparently always provided the originals on paper. When asked why not send them electronically, the MS rep replied that they didn't trust Word not to move things around when opened on a different computer …

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 14h

Work's still going on by the ‘main’ entrance to the station, but if exiting on to city square (by the ‘news theatre’ sign) there's far fewer roads to cross.

Especially handy in t'other direction, when trying to catch a specific train and not being held up at multiple pedestrian crossings.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 19h

For balance, I also like the similar pedestrian improvements outside Leeds station!

It's almost like there are some experts just getting on with making life better for pedestrians, regardless of any national politicians' posturing or encouraging outrage …

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 19h

I love how pleasant and easy it is to walk from Forster Square station to, say, the Alhambra/media museum now (via the gorgeous Waterstones, of course).

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Go on … what kind of requests?

It's decades since I was involved in a conference, and I can't think of speakers making any requests beyond “I need to be at the airport by 5, so don't put me in the final slot.”

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

In the supermarket I saw our MP scurrying past, grabbing an apple and looking like they wanted to do their shopping and be out of there.

Partway round, I saw them waylayed by a constituent. As I was leaving, another person had joined the chat.

It may be some time till they get to eat that apple …

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

[Right, I need a break to do something else with my life.

To Be Continued …]

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

… which rather undermines the purpose of a national put-in-your-postcode-and-we'll-tell-you-where-to-recycle website, if after giving you locations, there's a caveat saying we may not be eligible to use it.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

The first place it suggests is a “Local authority recycling centre” over the border in a Leeds council area. We live in a Bradford area. www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-r...

And they don't actually know whether I can use it, telling me to check elsewhere:

What else do I need to know?

You may only be able to visit this recycling centre if you are a local resident of the borough. Check your local authority's website for details.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Putting in ‘Ilkley’, ‘microwave’, and ‘recycle’ gives a list, starting with the council tips I already know about but which are a struggle to get to by public transport (and even more so if you have a weekday daytime job and don't want to use up annual leave just to throw out a microwave).

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Fortunately, one of the other shops did, as an alternative to their own recycling, because I already have tab open for it. I've forgotten which, and this whole palaver has been so soul-sapping that I can't be bothered to go back and check.

Anyway, it's here: www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

Recycle Your Electricals - WEEE Recycling - Material Focus

Recycle Your Electricals. Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled. Use our recycling locator to find your nearest recycling point.

www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

I do like how Swan tell me “Be sure to check for the nearest WEEE recycling centre to you”, like I might have thoughtlessly chosen one miles away and inconvenienced myself without Swan being there to point it out?

Note they don't even bother to link to how to find a WEEE recycling centre.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

It doesn't sound like that meets the regulations on the gov webpage linked at the start of this thread, but maybe there's an exception for small online-only shops that isn't mentioned in the gov's consumer-facing overview?

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Our new microwave is by Swan. They have their own UK online shop. Let's see whether they'll take our old one. They have a recycling page: shop.swan-brand.co.uk/pages/recycle

That'll be ‘no’, then. At least it's a quick ‘no’, rather than the looking-like-‘yes’-but-not-actually of some of the others.

Recycling your appliances
Did you know, as well as recycling standard paper/ plastic packaging, you can also recycle your old appliances free of charge at any WEEE recycling centre established by local authorities. Be sure to check for the nearest WEEE recycling centre to you.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

I also tried Amazon's link for >30 kg items, to see if that was any better. It span for a while, then took me to a blank page.

Let's try somebody else.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Let's try that first option and see where our nearest drop-off point is.

Oh.

Yep, the Amazon UK website links to a UPS location finder only for USA addresses! www.ups.com/us/en/busine...

Again, it's like they don't actually care.

At least Robert Dyas was only in London!

Find a UPS Location
Enter Address: Ilkley Look Up >
Ilkley Moor Ln, Ellicott City, MD USA
Ilkley Circle, Cheapspake, VA, USA
Ilkley Lane, Horizon City, TX, USA

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Back to Amazon's appliance recycling, which depends on its weight: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/cust...

< 30 kg: collection by Landbell group
> 30 kg: home-pick up by Landbell group

Um. is that actually different?

Anyway, let's hope our old microwave isn't *exactly* 30 kg and fall outside of both …

For equipment weighing less than 30kg, you can create and print a prepaid label with the Landbell Group. Once your item is properly packed, you can bring it to one of the drop-off points or arrange for a collection.

Temperature exchange equipment cannot be sent for recycling via prepaid shipping label (as described above). Instead, you can drop it off at collection points or request a pick-up. Temperature exchange equipment includes refrigerators, freezers, equipment which automatically delivers cold products, air conditioning equipment, dehumidifying equipment, heat pumps, radiators containing oil and other temperature exchange equipment which use fluids other than water for the temperature exchange.

For equipment weighing more than 30kg or with larger dimensions at 120 x 60 x 60 cm, you can request a free of charge home-pick up with the Landbell Group. Please provide the order number of the new item you are purchasing at the time of the recycling collection request. Once your request is validated, they will contact you to arrange a suitable time for collection.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Yup, Amazon have just repeated the category name in alt text for the photos, meaning that those using it get everything twice. Useless!

Oh, except for “Packaging” which they get 3 times, cos Amazon re-used “Packing” as the alt text on the textiles image, like they don't actually care or something.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

A sidebar on Amazon's choice of alt text. For each category on that page seeing users get a photo and caption. Those using screen readers? Well:

“Battery
Batteries
Packaging
Packaging
Packaging
Clothing and Textile
Light Bulb
Light Bulbs
Engine Oil
Engine Oil
PV panel
Photovoltaic Panels”

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Amazon? Their tax-dodging harms the country and I refuse to use them for anything we can get elsewhere (even when it costs more), but maybe they actually provide appliance recycling?

This page linked from their footer is hopeful: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/browse.ht...

Amazon helps you recycle products you no longer need

Click on the images below to find out more about how to recycle products from our waste management program

Electrical & Electronic Equipment
Batteries
Packaging
Clothing and Textile
Light Bulbs
Engine Oil
Photovoltaic Panels

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

I'm not prepared to order without knowing they'd definitely collect the old one, so Currys *might* be a possibility but would involve the hassle of contacting them first to find out.

This is all so much hassle!! Somebody just provide what the regulations say you have to!!

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

They also *might* take small items, such as kettles and toasters. A microwave is bigger than their example small items (which are all things I could easily carry to recycle anywhere on foot) but smaller than their listed big items, so it isn't clear which way it goes.

Small appliances

If there's room on our delivery van, we can remove & recycle small appliances free of charge. Examples of these small appliances include kettles, toasters, vacuum cleaners etc.

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

… I can't find how to add “recycling services” to the basked on the Currys website. Ah, maybe they don't take microwaves. Do microwaves count as “ovens”? Otherwise it isn't in their list:

Large appliances

We recycle these appliances:

Washing machines, washer dryers & tumble dryers

Dishwashers

Fridges, freezers & fridge freezers

Cookers, ovens, gas hobs, electric hobs & hoods

TVs over 44"

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Smylers @smylers.uk · 1d

Presumably the recycling is still free and the £20+ is for the collection. Which is sort-of fair enough, except in this scenario they would be there anyway, having turned up to deliver our new microwave, so the collection literally costs them nothing!

But more to the point …

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