WE should have no objection to the proposed once-a-fortnight collection of household waste if the council provided a more comprehensive recycling service.

We already recycle all our paper, glass and cans but are not able to recycle card or plastic. These last two materials account for a large proportion of our household waste, and I'm sure this is true of many others.

To prove our point, we separated out all our card and plastic last week and enclose a photograph of this in our green recycling bin.

Even we were surprised at how much there was. As a result, we had very little household waste to put in our wheelie bin.

We are a household of two adults and this card and plastic waste was generated in a single week. Scale this up to allow for a household of two adults and three children and you will see how much card and plastic waste would be generated in a fortnight.

Large families will not be able to manage with a once-a-fortnight collection of household waste unless the council offers kerbside recycling collections of these additional materials.

Apart from these practical considerations, we owe it to the environment and the future of the planet to reduce the waste which is simply dumped in landfill sites.

If the council wants to promote recycling, it should include all materials which are capable of being recycled.

Derek and Frances Mee,

Oriel Grove,

Clifton, York.

Updated: 11:01 Saturday, September 24, 2005