THERE have been conflicting reports from councillors, politicians and Postbag correspondents about recycling waste.

If the question is purely about recycling no doubt most people are in favour, but if it is about methods of collection then from what I've read most people are against wheelie bins.

The other day I saw an efficient waste disposal team at work. One man collected black bags from 12 properties and put them in one place. The lorry had to stop just once for the bags to be thrown in before moving on to the next pile.

With wheelie bins this would have taken much longer, the lorry continually stopping/starting outside each property, using up fuel, and creating lots more noise and pollution, while waiting for wheelie bins to be hitched up and emptied, and then waiting for them to be returned to the owners before moving on.

Which is the most efficient and environmentally friendly method? The black bag wins every time, so how can any politician or councillor say it's more environmentally friendly to use wheelie bins?

Rubbish amounts vary with each household -- the number of people, whether more or less pre-packed food is eaten etc.

If the black bags, green boxes and garden waste were collected weekly that would suffice for most households.

Would it not be possible for the 'green box lorry' to have a container on a trailer so 'food waste' could be collected simultaneously?

Perhaps a trial fortnightly collection of cardboard and plastics could be arranged. If successful, good, if not, back to the drawing board.

Government targets are a pain and generally do more harm than good, but the above method would far exceed their targets, especially if biodegradable waste bags were available.

Who knows? Instead of a 'fine' we might get a bonus with reduced council tax.

We can but dream.

P. BRISTOW Hawthorne Road, Wellington.