I read the article on 'Garden waste collections cut to fortnightly' in the Standard February 7 with some concerns.

Whilst we all appreciate the requirement to keep CDC's costs to a minimum, it does raise a number of queries.

First, the reduction to fortnightly collections would cause problems for many people during the lawn growing season as our bins are completely full each week.

Fortnightly collections would necessitate a second green bin which would have to be stored somewhere and, unless CDC is going to provide the second bin free of charge, would be an extra cost to the users.

This would probably negate the statement that 'a proposed reduction cost would compensate for this decision to a certain extent'.

Also, would the collection vehicles be capable of collecting double the amount?

Furthermore at the end of two weeks the bins would be very smelly.

Second, the proposal to cease the green bin collections between November to January leaving only the small green caddies to be collected each week would be impractical.

At present our caddie is emptied into the green bin almost everyday as it normally has a considerable amount of waste in it, both from food preparation and the inevitable leftovers and of course that waste can smell very unpleasant if, for instance, it contains fish or meat.

The waste from the garden does not reduce to zero over these months, there are falling leaves, windfalls as well as grass cutting in November.

Then there are the other items that we are supposed to put in the green bins such as kitchen roll and tissues.

Are all of these items to be placed in the caddies?

If so how many caddies will be needed?

Maybe the answer is to provide a supper size caddie for the normal size caddies to be emptied into but this would equate to another large bin to store alongside our two normal size green bins.

Finally the thought of putting the normal food caddies outside, even overnight for collection the following day, is a non-starter in our area due to the nightly patrols of the hungry foxes.

They are more than capable of tipping over a caddie and scattering its contents - a health and safety risk!

Each one of us could transport our waste to the recycling centres - but that is not very Green is it?

I trust that the CDC will carefully consider the above when it meets to discuss the proposal on February 26, there are some serious issues.

Yours sincerely

Ron Nailer

Cirencester