Why No Wheelie Bins For Recycling?

I CANNOT understand why the change to wheelie bins wasn't made when the contracts were last renewed. It's absurd that the current system now makes the council one of the worst performers when it comes to recycling targets.

The present system is archaic and messy, and contributes to litter in the town. Black bags are often split open, by birds and cats, while left out overnight, but the resulting mess isn't cleared up by the refuse collectors. Papers which blow out of the black crates aren't picked up either, and carrier bags often drift around after the recycling collection lorry has gone. The delivery of new black bags is often a problem in windy weather too - most hedges have a few bags caught in them!

The recycling system is confusing, and while households need to put glass and metal out in plastic bags, any campaign to reduce the plastic carrier bags we take from supermarkets is doomed to fail. I often find myself deliberately taking carrier bags just for use in the recycling scheme.

Wheelie bins for recycling could be printed with what is to go in them, to avoid some of the confusion, or better yet, we could have a system where all recycling, apart from organic waste, is put into one bin and sorted at the recycling depot. This would also enable more plastic recycling

The food part of organic waste is a large component in many households, yet wrapping it in newspaper and putting it into a brown paper sack is not satisfactory - over two weeks smells will develop and as the paper sacks need to be kept indoors this can become unpleasant. If outdoor bins were used they would encourage more organic recycling, as the closed lids would keep in the worst of the smell of decay.

It really is time to bring this system into line with modern practices of waste collection and recycling.

Sue Loewenbein

Bishop Laney Drive

Ely