I FEEL I must write to express the following regarding the policy of whoever is responsible for recycling in West Devon.
I have always been amazed at the way in which recycling is collected from my village. This often involves all the operators leaving the vehicle to collect the green boxes. The contents are then sorted and deposited in various containers.
This operation is carried out by the roadside. Now in most cases this does not cause a problem, but where the road is of single vehicle width then all vehicles have to wait until the operators have collected the green boxes, sorted the items and returned the boxes.
I have often wondered what would happen, should an emergency vehicle try to use the same stretch of road, whilst it is blocked by a temporarily abandoned recycling vehicle.
I recently had a clear-out of my loft and had several cardboard boxes. I removed all the internal packaging, flat-packed the cardboard and proceeded to the recycling centre at Crowndale. I asked a member of the site staff where I should put the cardboard and to my amazement I was told to throw it on the pile with all the other household waste.
In my opinion the way in which recycling is collected from my village is uneconomical and potentially unsafe. This, together with my wasted journey to the recycling centre, has led me to decide that recycling in West Devon is a joke at which I can no longer laugh and in which I no longer wish to participate.
Stuart Cox
Graybridge Road
Horrabridge
l See story, page 9