OVER the last few weeks I have read many letters and articles about the changes to refuse collection in the Bromsgrove area. The most recent of these being from J Wilson, Rubery, who suggests the system smells and that we will be storing up problems.

Get real J Wilson. Global warming may, for many readers, sound like a promising prospect considering the summer we have just had, but it is a serious issue for us all.

The climate is changing and those of us old enough to really look back will recognise that. The tropical storms that devastated much of the Caribbean and the southern states of America were widely reported and much of this severity was attributed to global warming. Hollywood is also portraying the potential effects through new blockbusters.

J Wilson and others critical of the recycling scheme will no doubt think that any changes they may have to make will have no difference, but this is a global problem and requires global response.

The biggest contributors to global warming are us in the developed countries, feeding the high energy consumption that we all demand. We have a responsibility to our children and their children to make a change and that needs to happen now. We also have a responsibility to our neighbours.

Whilst I happen to think that Bromsgrove District Council is a joke, I feel that I must defend the current recycling scheme. We are a family of four who previously used to recycle glass, tins and paper and stick the rest in the bin. Since the introduction of the scheme we have been able to extend this considerably.

We fully utilise the boxes and bins, we have also introduced a compost bin. The local 'bin men' do a great job in taking our recyclables beyond the capacity of the boxes, in turn we sort glass, plastics and tins for their ease. We have noticed a significant reduction in the amount that goes in the grey bin, our compost bin is filling up nicely and will provide nourishment for the garden next year.

What problems are we creating? Well, we have to look after a couple of wheelie bins and two boxes, they take up a bit of space. We have had maggots in the bin, but then I never really looked in the old one. Personally I can cope with this, malaria spreading mosquito's I would prefer not to have.

If recycling means a better future for my family and other families across the world then that's a problem I'll happily store. Only time will tell if this makes a difference but I'd rather try to get it right than catastrophically wrong.

Iain Brough

Lickey End