THIS council claims to be a council which will clean up our streets and improve our environment.

It also claims to listen to the public. That has to be the biggest load of rubbish, if you pardon the pun, they have ever said.

This council makes many of its decisions without even taking them through council - what they call executive decisions, which means we have to do as they say whether we like it or not.

The Liberals are pushing ahead without any regard whatsoever with their plans to introduce a two-weekly bin collection.

Cllr Hayes should cast his mind back to Christmas time, when there were queues from Raikes Lane all the way down Manchester Road because ratepayers had to queue for more than two hours to dispose of the refuse because their bins were full. They were full because, over the Christmas period, our bins were emptied on a two-weekly cycle.

It is right and proper for any council to look at ways of improving efficiency within its refuse collection. However, before you introduce the two-weekly bin collection, you should ensure that you have in place, working correctly, your additional bins for collecting recyclable refuse.

Once this has been done and the public has been educated to use this system, you will see a reduction in the refuse in the normal grey wheelie bin. Then and only then should any council consider introducing a two-weekly collection.

This decision by this Liberal administration will lead, in my opinion, to an increase in fly tipping.

Bury tried a two-weekly collection. It didnt work, so they re-introduced a weekly collection. Bury also introduced new, blue wheelie bins to collect the recyclable rubbish. That is clearly the best policy.

If we are supposed to have in our bins more than 70 per cent of recyclable materials, why are we expected to put all our recyclable items in a plastic box, which is less than 80 per cent the size of the grey wheelie bin?

This council should go and visit its neighbour, Bury MBC, and see what it can learn. I wonder if the reason for Bury doing the job better is because it is a Labour-controlled authority, and is listening to what the ratepayers of Bury are saying.

Sean Hornby

Marsh Road

Little Lever