LIST: Things about The UK you wish you had known

True, but water from a tap in a train toilet is not tap water!  It's in a horrible dirty tank, probably! 

in my office building here there is a big sign saying not to drink the water. I have always wondered why?

It could be that the management is being cautious (that L-word again) because the "health & safety" man has raised queries about the suitability of the supply system.   Could be an old galvanized tank which is starting to rust, some old lead pipe still in use, or something like that.

Isn't getting a Brita or just a jug for tap water to go in the fridge more cost effective and better for the environment?  All that plastic....   

I can't be bothered with a Brita filter because of the lime scale issue in our area. Regarding the plastic, we recycle.

It could be that the management is being cautious (that L-word again) because the "health & safety" man has raised queries about the suitability of the supply system.   Could be an old galvanized tank which is starting to rust, some old lead pipe still in use, or something like that.

Sorry Paul, missed your reply. The building is from the 80's and the sticker in the bathroom looks just about that old....so I really don't know. It's not a problem because I would never drink from a bathroom tap. I was just curious about the sticker.  You are right its probably H&S.

I'm incredibly annoyed that in both Hove and Brighton, and now in Norwich, the only plastic they'll take for recycling (even if it's marked to be fittable to do so) are plastic drinking bottles, whereas in the States you recycle virtually anything plastic. Are the Brits too cheap to build better conversion sites? So my husband says, and he's also said that the British send a lot of waste to China to take care of. As if China isn't filthy enough.

Actually, the recycling that gets sent to China goes in the containers that have brought their exported products here - so instead of going back empty, they are carrying recycling that can be dealt with in China because they have the systems in place already.

A lot of bathtubs (which I considering waddling in your own filth, to be honest--I'll go for a shower any day, to feel genuinely clean), don't have shower heads for you to rinse your hair after washing and conditioning. That's especially a pain in the ass if you have long hair.

(which I considering waddling in your own filth, to be honest

Waddling? 

OOPS, I suppose I should have said LYING in your own filth.

The building is from the 80's and the sticker in the bathroom looks just about that old....so I really don't know. It's not a problem because I would never drink from a bathroom tap. I was just curious about the sticker.  You are right its probably H&S.

If it's a 1980s building, then it was probably somebody being very cautious about the possibility of people drinking water which has been stored in a tank.   Remember that even in the traditional plumbing arrangements for a house, the cold faucets in the bathroom come from the storage cistern in the attic but the kitchen sink is fed directly from the supply, that tap being the one which is going to be used for drinking and cooking.

OOPS, I suppose I should have said LYING in your own filth.

Wallowing, perhaps?

Actually, the recycling that gets sent to China goes in the containers that have brought their exported products here - so instead of going back empty, they are carrying recycling that can be dealt with in China because they have the systems in place already.

I didn't know that, very cool.


As for water bottles, I'm trying to boycott them, but it's hard when there aren't a lot of public drinking fountains around. I thought I was okay because I recycle the bottles, but when you think about how heavy the bottles are and the carbon emissions it takes to ship them all over the world, it made me do a rethink. I'm a fan of filling up a jug with tap water and keeping it in the fridge for cold water.

I'm incredibly annoyed that in both Hove and Brighton, and now in Norwich, the only plastic they'll take for recycling (even if it's marked to be fittable to do so) are plastic drinking bottles

The current state for North Norfolk District Council, straight from the horse's mouth:

Your green bin can take paper and cardboard, including newspapers, magazines, catalogues, and telephone books.

You can also put aluminium (sic ) and steel food and drink cans and empty aerosol cans in your green bin, as well as plastic bottles such as those used for fizzy drinks, water, milk, shampoo and detergents.

Other recyclables such as glass and textiles should be taken to your nearest recycling banks.

{.....}

Other plastics (like yoghurt pots, magarine tubs, carrier bags and food trays), polystyrene and foil, and waxed cardboard (like juice and milk cartons) all count as contamination if they are wrongly put in your green bin.

Please note that we cannot take shredded paper for recycling either, because it affects our separation machinery and cannot be turned back into usable paper by normal recycling processes.

By the way, I know somebody who works on the garbage trucks for Broadland Council (which adjoins both North Norfolk and Norwich areas) and he says that at the moment barely half the materials collected from the recyling bins are actually being recycled.  The rest is going into landfill anyway as the local processing plant can't cope. 

I like to wallow in my (emotional) filth every so often.  Particularly when it has bubbles.

Every place I've stayed in has nice showerhead to use for washing hair.

I

• Get used to pints of beer, they don't come bigger and rarely come smaller (1/2 pints), also get used to them filled to the tip top, that is a government regulations.

It's a Southern thing, it's regulations that you are served a pint of liquid, but in the south the pint glasses only just hold it, in the north we have "oversized" glasses so there's about half an inch at the top for a "head" (froth/foam or however you call it) as we prefer it like that up here....you'll hear us "Northerners" refer to flat London beer!