THIS week I had an experience which would put off even the most civic-minded person from recycling in York.

I heard the recycling point outside the Barbican had been reinstated, so I walked to it with a few bagfuls of bottles.

When I got there, it appeared the council hadn't bothered to put the bottle banks back. Obviously, a few other people had made the same assumption and the ground was covered in shards of broken glass from bottles people had dumped there.

I was more determined and decided I'd walk to the bottle banks in St George's Field car park where, to my frustration, the green bottle bank was full.

The result was I had to walk all the way back home in the blazing heat with bags full of green bottles.

This is unacceptable. Everyone, except a hardcore one per cent of environmentalists, would simply give up recycling after this experience. I have written to the council asking why the facilities are so poor.

Many people want the chance to recycle waste without hassle. The message from the council appears to be "don't bother".

Peter Sanderson,

Spokesperson,

York Green Party,

Wellington Street, York.

Updated: 10:52 Saturday, June 25, 2005