The four rubbish options which have been produced for consultation in Colchester are too woolly and unspecific.

Three propose fortnightly collections of “refuse”, which will inevitably bring in ugly wheelie bins after lots of hype about rats and bags left out on wrong weeks etc.

Option B is what we have now, plus weekly food waste collection, yet they say recycling would only rise by three per cent from the current 37 per cent.

This is not credible, as food waste collections increase recycling levels hugely.

Gover nment-funded organisation Wrap has shown that collecting recyclables separately, sorted at the kerb, is cheaper to run and brings the highest income for quality materials.

T he two things which increase recycling most are proven to be weekly collections of all recyclables and enough boxes and reusable bags in which to put separate materials.

It has been reported that other options would be considered, so vote for Option E in the waste consultation on the council’s website, comprising the following: 1. Weekly collections of everything, to make it easy for people and spread collection of materials and garden waste evenly for baling and composting.

This was what we had during the Mersea area trial which reached 60 per cent recycling in 2002 and was supposed to be rolled out across the borough.

2. Enough kerbside boxes and reusable bags to put the separated materials in.

3. Weekly separate food waste bucket collections which can be used to produce compost and electricity or gas for home heating in local anaerobic digestion plants.

4. Proper, separated kerbside collections sorted at the kerb and baled locally, including paper separately, to maximise quality and bring high income to supply our UK reprocessors.

We need to collect separated glass colours as we used to do, to save huge amounts of energy and receive highest prices.

5. Use suitable collection vehicles to replace the disastrous and costly split vehicles which cannot cope with separated materials and are heavy fuel users.

Independent consultants advised that we buy back the flexible vehicles we used before, particularly the “Fame” vehicles which separate the glass colours.

6. No wheelie bins.

Paula Whitney
Co-ordinator
Friends of the Earth
Shears Crescent
West Mersea

...David Mills extols the virtues of wheelie bins and suggests that I may be speaking for myself (Letters, December 8).

Well, I thought that’s what this page is all about, expressing opinions and generating discussion.

In this case, I don’t think that I am alone in resisting the introduction of the dreaded bins.

If the national press is to be believed, they are universally unpopular.

Yes, they will afford better protection to rubbish awaiting collection, but surely that is their only virtue.

The Department of Guesswork believes they increase recycling rates, but then this department projected the number of potential visitors to the long awaited Vaf. Some people may say “enough said”.

It is, I believe, an undisputed fact that these bins blight our environment.

They stand there in front gardens and yards like an invading army – and that is all the time, not only on collection days.

We do need to increase recycling rates and I urge the council to consider alternative methods and bin any idea of introducing the dreaded bins.

Norman Bailey
Cambridge Road
Colchester