SIR, — On May 27 we started a new refuse collection regime as detailed in the latest issue of St Albans District Council s Recycling News. We had been delivered a new green wheelie bin and we had filled this with all the appropriate waste. We already have

SIR, - On May 27 we started a new refuse collection regime as detailed in the latest issue of St Albans District Council's Recycling News. We had been delivered a new green wheelie bin and we had filled this with all the appropriate waste.

We already have black plastic sacks for non-recyclable waste and two plastic boxes one for newspapers and magazines and the other for bottles, tins and plastics. After one lorry had emptied the two recycling boxes, another came and removed the black plastic sack, but the wheelie bin remained untouched. A call to Client Services assured us that a third lorry would be coming specifically to empty the wheelie bin. This lorry never appeared and the council eventually sent a lorry two days later on a special mission to complete the task.

This week the system appears to have become even more sophisticated in that the first lorry collected the black plastic sack, the second lorry sorted through the bottles, tins and plastics box and removed just the glass, then a third lorry arrived and emptied the remnants of that box and the newspapers and magazines box, but still the wheelie bin remains untouched. A phone call to Client Services assures me that a fourth lorry will indeed be coming to deal with the wheelie bin, which may or may not arrive this evening (Monday).

Perhaps you would like to ask the council to reassure us all that the carbon footprint of four separate collection vehicles is more than compensated for by the benefits of the recycling.

ADRIAN STEPHENSON,

Mackerye End, Harpenden.