THE value of recycling has been stressed by the only Independent on the district council in an open letter to residents of the village he represents.

Cllr Tony Swendell was prompted to lay out full details of the issue after the annual meeting of Redbourn parish council at which the topic of waste collections and recycling was discussed.

As a district councillor for the village, he says he received quite a lot of correspondence on the subject and is concerned to ensure people understand that recycling is not optional because the county cannot afford to keep ditching its rubbish in landfill sites.

He points out that when the old sack collection was replaced by the present bins and boxes, there was a flood of criticism from some residents which had settled down relatively quickly.

But he stressed that because collection of waste affected every household in the district, any change to the collection system needed to be publicised and communicated so that as many local residents as possible know what is happening.

Cllr Swendell said the objective was to raise recycling to 60 per cent by 2015 from the current 50 per cent mark and both the district council and contractors Enterprise believed that the only way that could be achieved was if the quantity of food being placed in black landfill bins was reduced and food put in the green recycling bin.

To that end, he highlighted the fact that households would shortly be provided with a kitchen waste food caddy to be emptied into the green bin.

Calling on people to comment about the recycling service before a contract is signed between the district council and Enterprise, he said he could be contacted at tony.swendell@gmail.com