REFERENCE the article by Gary Bills-Geddes (Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter, September 16) on green bags for garden waste, has the council any idea how much waste a large garden produces?

I have three large compost bays in use for anything that will rot down. However, I have an evergreen hedge bordering a public footpath which has to be kept in good order. In addition, I have five trees and a hedge consisting of assorted shrubs on the other side of my garden. All of these produce a lot of woody waste, which I cannot deal with. I do not have a car.

The council should be collecting woody garden waste and recycling it as other councils do, thereby boosting its recycling targets, as required by the Government. Friends and relatives are appalled that we are obliged to pay for bags to dispose of garden waste which we cannot handle ourselves.

If the money raised from the sale of green sacks is used towards the cost of collection and disposal of refuse, I would call this sharp practice as we have already paid for this service in our rates.

B P ISAAC, Sling Lane, Malvern.