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We need less waste going to landfill sites

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Sir, – Your correspondent Colin Cookson of Glenrothes counted 96 blue bins that had the lids open.

I feel it is a pity he did not look into them to see if the contents were really appropriate for landfill and whether they had items that should have been put in the brown, grey or green recycling bins.

While I accept that my household only consists of two adults and a cat, my blue bin is usually only one-fifth full on collection days and most of that is generated by the cat.

The only thing I put in the blue bin is anything I cannot put in the recycling bins.

Perhaps the solution to this would be for Fife Council to send someone from the waste disposal department to examine the contents of the bins on collection day and, if required, distribute an advice pamphlet to people who are putting inappropriate items in the blue bin.

In addition, I see no reason why concessions should be given to families with young children using disposable nappies.

There are far more cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways to provide nappies for young children than the disposable option.

Recently I was told that one lady in Scotland was charged £25 to have her domestic waste bin emptied because she had filled it with garden rubbish.

While I am not advocating this approach from Fife Council, I do think they might offer guidance as to which bins people should be using for what.

Bigger blue bins will only encourage less care in what people put in them and increase landfill. That is the last thing we need.

L. Johnston.
Crawford Avenue.
Gauldry.

 

Scone views being ignored

Sir, – In a newspaper article John Swinney wrote: “…we believe in our communities’ ability to take power into their own hands. The principle of local control, not on behalf of a community but by a community, is the key”.

He went on to state that his party intends to reinvigorate local democracy by reconnecting it with communities.

I sincerely hope that our SNP power bloc on Perth and Kinross Council will heed the words of Mr Swinney because, so far, there is little evidence of councillors paying much heed to local opinions, especially when it comes to planning matters.

Clearly, I am referring to the proposed Scone developments which quite clearly are against the wishes of our local communities in Scone and Bridgend.

However, I fear it is a forlorn hope and that our planning officials and the SNP councillors will continue to pander to the profiteering objectives of local landowners and developers and to the satisfaction of their own egos.

John D. Ridley.
94 Spoutwells Drive,
Scone.

 

Heathrow expansion risks

Sir, – John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow Airport Holdings, (October 15) forecasts that after Brexit, Heathrow’s expansion will deliver £14 billion more of economic growth and “up to” 16,100 jobs for Scotland.

In addition there will be “up to” 40 new regular long-haul routes; greatly increased air-freight and “30 airlines offering 25,000 new flights” annually (68 daily).

His UK-wide forecast reported elsewhere is £58.8 billion of extra economic growth with all these benefits occurring by 2035 after Brexit in 2020.

Could he match these with his 20/20 vision of where the growth in west London’s already overcrowded airspace will come from, to allow a significant reduction in the current risky and polluting low-level flight- holding-patterns?

Could he advise why freight traffic needs to increase there rather than at regional airports or even by making Manston in Kent a dedicated freight airport?

Could he also advise about the increased risk potential of, sooner or later, an appalling crash over London, whether from technical failure or deliberate action?

John Birkett.
12 Horseleys Park,
St Andrews.

 

Delightful trip to Pitlochry

Sir, – When we go to London we try to see the best musical on. For the last two years we have been disappointed: thin stories, well performed but with relatively poor songs.

So we were glad to see the final performance of Carousel at Pitlochry.

It was a marvellous musical with a gripping though sad story and truly great songs and it was brilliantly staged and directed and superbly performed.

Next year we’ll save our pennies for Pitlochry.

Anthony Garrett.
1 Royal Terrace,
Falkland.

 

Woeful state of national game

Sir, – Your correspondent Jamie Buchan must surely be joking.

Ayr Rugby Football Club, who sport pink and black hoops, are currently leading the BT Premiership having won it in 2008/9, 2012/13 and 2015/16 together with being cup winners in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Dundee FC, who sport the traditional Scottish dark blue have, for last 40 odd years failed to win anything major.

The fact that Scotland recently wore pink jerseys has nothing to do with their shortcomings.

Even allowing for some rather dubious selections and tactics employed by Gordon Strachan, the fact is the players simply are not good enough to make any impression at world or even European level.

Bill Watson.
Seaton Estate,
Arbroath.

 

How will man on bus benefit?

Sir, – I reply to Mr Richard Clark of Monikie (October 18).

To spread this sort of tosh does neither this country nor his nationalistic cause any good. There is no broken union and there was no invasion in 1707. I am pretty sure if he discusses freedom from oppressive colonisation with some of our new east European citizens, say from Poland or Romania, it might cool his fevered brow.

We have all heard the rallying call of “freedom” for quite a while now but what exactly are Mr Clark and his nationalist cohorts actually after?

What benefits will the “man on the number ten bus” get after “independence” from the UK?

James Davie.
33 Aberdour Place,
Barnhill,
Dundee.

 

Stop taking this medicine

Sir, – Your regular correspondent Robert Scott (October 19) has his head in exactly the same place as many hostile to the idea that Scotland can be a viable, independent country.

Rather than make the positive case for the union that is the United Kingdom, the automatic response is to run down the country that is Scotland.

Even the then Prime Minister David Cameron, at the outset of the independence referendum campaign, made it clear that the case for the union was not that Scotland lacked the capacity to be a successful independent country if that was what the people chose.

Mr Scott noted in his letter that Scotland’s economic situation is problematic and he is right.

However, he neglected to observe that this situation has occurred during a prolonged period of Tory rule from Westminster.

The nasty medicine of right-wing dogma, Brexit and savage Tory cuts has been toxic to the United Kingdom as a whole and especially to Scotland.

Mr Scott thinks that Scotland taking more of the same poisonous medicine by ongoing submission to edicts from the Tories is the way forward and describes people who disagree with this view as “irrational”.

I would respectfully suggest to Mr Scott that if the medicine is killing the patient, continuing to take it forever is madness.

K Heath.
Cortachy.
Kirriemuir.