What a strange decision the council made, opting not to collect the green bins. Winter gardeners look forward to this first collection of the season, filling the bins in anticipation of a clearance on the nominated day. Easter also is traditionally a busy period for gardeners. This, together with the lockdown, led to bins which were full to capacity.

The council announced at short notice that no collection would take place on the nominated dates. It was suggested that compost heaps could be made to reduce our garden waste. This needs a certain amount of skill to prepare and encourages vermin: not a good idea in a normal domestic garden.

With the local amenity sites also being shut this really does encourage fly tipping and a very expensive clean up operation.

Is the council in a position to inform us if collections will return to normal? I think we all accept that this is a difficult time, but things won’t be improved by burying our head in the rubbish bin. Material left in a bin quickly becomes a slimy mess and is difficult to deal with.

Those who have paid for an extra bin are to be offered a refund. I take it this will include the charge - a significant amount - on our annual rates?

The good news is it’s time to plant our potatoes.

Ken Thorpe, Ebor Way, Upper Poppleton, York

Great to see extra £17k of funding for libraries

I was so pleased to see that City of York Council has granted £17k to York Explore (Read thousands of magazines online for free, thanks to £17k council funding, April 11). While we are under lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, libraries have a vital role to play in providing entertainment and educational material to people stuck at home for long periods.

The extra funding will enable Explore to make a wider range of e-books and audiobooks available to people of all ages. There will also be free access to Press Reader, a fantastic resource with over 7,000 newspaper and magazine titles to read online, which is updated daily.

These extra services will particularly benefit people who live on their own. The prospect of additional services such as virtual book groups will also help to ease social isolation and loneliness at this time. It is also good to hear that the council will be working with Explore to see how they can help elderly people who do not have internet access or lack confidence in using new technology.

Richard Brown,

Horseman Avenue

Copmanthorpe, York