I HAVE read with interest the on-going debate on the Lib Dems's green waste plans.

While there is real enthusiasm for recycling and doing more for the environment, many residents are not convinced the council has found the most practical or appropriate way to do this.

Your letter writers have raised a whole range of questions about the green waste bins and the fortnightly collections.

I am not convinced the council has the answers. Do York gardens produce enough waste to fill these bins, especially in the winter? Would a cardboard or plastic collection be more useful? What about the smells from two-week old rubbish?

The level of concern among residents about the new system only reinforces my view that the Lib Dems should have tested these plans out with a small-scale pilot scheme, and consulted fully with residents before attempting to roll out these changes across the city.

This is a missed chance - previous recycling schemes have been positively welcomed by York residents. Instead we have a rushed and untested scheme meaning errors, confusion and dissatisfaction are perhaps inevitable.

Coun Ruth Potter,

Labour spokesperson for environment and sustainability,

Chaucer Street, York.

Updated: 10:03 Monday, August 29, 2005