In response to recent letters to your newspaper about City of York Council's new garden waste collections it is worth clarifying that the refuse collection service is just one of many services we pay for through our council tax.

In fact, it equates to just £70 of the average annual council tax bill.

The cost of implementing the garden waste collections is drastically less than the cost of failing to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste (waste that rots) that we dispose of in landfill sites.

The Government has set strict targets and the fines that would be imposed upon the council if we fail to meet them would total £7 million a year.

This is the equivalent of £89 a year in council tax for a Band D property in York and is a cost the council wants to ensure local tax payers are not burdened with.

If we are to avoid this, we all need to play our part in reducing the amount of waste we produce.

The garden waste collections represent an additional service for local residents, rather than a service reduction.

The council is always looking at how it can further improve the services that it provides to make it easier for residents to reduce the amount of rubbish they produce and increase what they recycle and compost.

The council's Household Waste Recycling Centres are now being improved.

Six of the existing recycling sites in York will be receiving additional plastic bottle recycling banks next month.

There are also plans to include plastics in the kerbside recycling collections from next year, providing the necessary funding can be secured.

Kristy Walton,

Head of Waste Strategy,

City of York Council.

Updated: 10:02 Monday, August 29, 2005