HAVING been presented with brown bins, box and bag - plus instruction book - by Ryedale District Council, I read their publicity.

Landfill sites produce methane. So is it not possible to extract this gas as an energy source? Many farms do; heavy metals and dangerous chemicals have always been handled by specialists and would never be found in deepfill sites.

Many Ryedale residents have gardens and compost heaps and, like me, each week take bottles, cans, junk mail and newspapers.

A cheaper alternative would be to refund £1 from council tax a week for each owner depositing recyclables at the recycling site. Realisation by persuasion, not coercion, could save paying for many unnecessary bins.

Mick Snowden,

Manor Farm Bungalow,

Amotherby, Malton.

Updated: 10:08 Friday, April 15, 2005