Sir, - I called into the car park at Superquinn in Bray recently to unload my bottles at the bottle bank. To my surprise the green bin was completely full and already some glass was lying around. I called Noble Waste, reported the situation and asked where else could I take my glass. I was told to go to Tesco in Bray.
Rehab runs this operation and again most of the bins were full, but I just found space for my load. Whilst there I got chatting to the man unloading the clothes recycling bin and asked him why the bins were so full. He explained that there was always some management problem but he had observed that when big sporting events were on, the bins naturally filled more quickly. Surely in this age of computers, management could place such dates in a computer and organise their collections more prudently?
And then there was a dog. He was run over by a car and some bright spark simply threw him into the clothes bin. Great! I hope when you go we too will be spared the cost of your coffin.
When are we going to learn that only when we all get behind recycling will we see the benefits that arise from fewer things going into landfill? In parts of the United States, 60 per cent of the drinking water is contaminated due to landfill seepage and local government supports recycling companies by way of a tippage fee. Every ton diverted from landfill is paid for. The message has finally got through that saving landfill space and all the costs involved in managing current and closed landfills is actually cheaper for the taxpayer.
I had a recycling company in Co Wicklow which was started not primarily to make money, but to set an example as to how material could be diverted from landfill and to question the county council's need for the large landfill that was proposed for Ballynagran. Sadly, I couldn't keep the company going but we did recycle over 2,000 tons and if my company had been in the US, operating under its codes, I would still be operating today and serving the people of Wicklow. - Yours, etc., Stuart Mullion,
Eagle Valley, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.