HAVING listened to the BBC News item at 7am. on Friday, September 21, I am even more concerned about the recycling of plastics.

There are 39 different recycling regimes used by local authorities across the country. There are a few authorities that do not recycle any plastic. Manchester only recycles bottles which bring in a good rate of return.

Do you know exactly what to put in our recycling bins? The bin men tell me that what the kerbside collection takes is different from what is accepted in Booth’s car park. Is this correct? Why? Do you know?

More questions. Why isn’t plastic recycling standardised throughout the country? What a difference this would make.

And why can’t black plastic trays be recycled? I gather that this is because the sorting machines don’t pick out; so why is it still being used, or the machines adapted to deal with the problem?

Lastly I should like to be told exactly what is happening to the plastic which we try so hard to recycle. What proportion is actually used?

I have two suggestions. One, that the local authority issues every household with a clear and detailed card listing all types of plastic and where we can put them.

And secondly that we all put pressure on the Government to standardise the whole procedure. It may have other things on its mind at the moment but this is of great importance. Remember Blue Planet.

Ruth Ogden

Windermere