The Census (again)

There have been more practical implications of the partial census, other than the poor old mayors monthly non-pay check. First I must explain a bit about the local council structure. A number of Communes (villages or small towns, rather like Parish councils in the UK) make up a Canton, which is centred on the largest unit. Round here we refer to this as the town (which has a population of about 5000).

We are blessed with a Canton council that are very environmentally concious, they have already changed the name of the Parks Department to "The Green Brigade" and now as they are responsible for waste collection and disposal they have been very quick to pick up on the European Directives requiring selective waste collection and recycling.


They, the council, have decided to provide 2 containers one for papers and the other for cardboard,tins and plastics. These they will collect alternate weeks and to save a special collection have had the carts converted so that the special collection goes in one side and general rubbish in the other. Clever really!

This is all hearsay because I haven't been issued with the 2 special containers and it's here that the row about the census re-raises its head. At the same time that the village population increased from 184 to 210 the count showed that the number of occupied houses increased from 73 to 84. BUT the powers that be can't accept that to be the case until 2011 ! So they have only issued containers for 73 households, presumably, me and 10 others will have to wait till then for ours.

Interestingly, an albeit partial, telephone survey that I have conducted reveals the amazing coincidence that it's the English and Dutch households that haven't been issued with containers!!