ON A recent trip to the James Street ‘recycling centre’, I removed a perfectly good sledge from the skip.

I was promptly approached by a site attendant, who threw the sledge back into the skip. I was told I could not remove things because of health and safety.

Every time I have been to the recycling centre at James Street and in the past Beckfield Lane I’ve been amazed at what some people throw away. I suppose some people are too busy to sell or freecycle or give to charity. So they dump perfectly good stuff which we then pay for in our taxes to be sent to landfill or recycled.

In the past I have saved things that are perfectly okay and not come to harm.

I think the council could reduce what goes into the skips if all vehicles visiting the recycling centre were given a leaflet about alternative means of parting with items in good condition.

Anything too good to be skipped (such as that sledge) could held for a few days. Visitors would then have a chance to view such items and take them away. This would be a much greener recycling centre.

Peter Moore, Allerton Drive, Nether Poppleton, York.