WHETHER the new rubbish collections work or not, it is only the very foolish or immature who embark on major change without some sort of trial of the new system.

We have had enough experience of large Government projects going haywire through lack of proper trials.

The comments of your correspondents about the arrogance and patronising attitude of the council confirm its foolishness. I entirely agree that it seems to have forgotten that one of its prime obligations is to keep the area clean and remove rubbish.

The council's literature mentions the people in York "producing" rubbish. No, sir, we do not sit at home every evening working our fingers to the bone "producing" rubbish.

Apart from garden refuse, most rubbish put out is the packaging we receive with the goods we buy, whether it be fruit from the supermarket, medicines from the chemist, clothes from the chain store, literature from mail order companies and pointless pamphlets from Government authorities, etc.

The packaging industry has become most successful during recent years in convincing us and manufacturers that everything must be wrapped many times so goods are pristine, hygienic and well-presented. We merely pass that rubbish on.

The foolishness of the council is further shown by its not even apparently acknowledging the source of the problem. Trying to make householders stop this flow of rubbish compounds the foolishness. The place to tackle the problem is at source, not part way along the chain.

Incidentally, it amazes me that in a world where we can land men on the moon, send satellites millions of miles into space and despatch people on rescue missions to the bottom of the ocean, we have not made a machine for the comparatively simple and useful job of sorting household waste.

John Ibbott,

Tedder Road,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 09:38 Thursday, September 08, 2005