I WELCOME the news that Herefordshire Council is to finally include glass in kerbside waste collections for the majority of people, something I have been calling for since July 2007 when I launched the Herefordshire Waste Charter.

Even with this announcement, it seems as though residents will still have to wait months for the glass collection scheme to begin in November 2009.

The other change proposed by the council is the introduction of wheelie bins for recycling. I attended a recent Partners and Communities Together (PACT) consultation event and it was evident that a number of important points still need considering before such a scheme should proceed.

For instance, people will be expected to manoeuvre their wheelie bins to the front boundary of their property on collection days.

This is likely to cause real issues for elderly people and those with disabilities/ physical impairments. There is an assisted collection scheme on offer and I urge anyone who has a concern over their ability to move their wheeie bins to contact the council straight away to ensure that alternative arrangements can be made – the number is 01432 260051.

Anyone having difficulties in registering should get in contact with me and I will raise it directly with the council.

I have also yet to see any figures for the expected increase in recycling rates or expected total savings – to date this exercise seems to be driven purely by cost. It remains for the council to persuade people that wheelie bins are the best option, given the strong feelings about their unsightly nature.

My final bug bear is that despite this recent review of Herefordshire’s waste strategy, garden waste collected by the council will still go to landfill – this is idiotic!

This could be used to create free compost/woodchip for local allotments and households, rather than costing ever increasing amounts of money to dispose of. I will be writing again to the council to revisit this issue.

Although commendable that the council now plan to introduce kerbside glass collection, they still have a long way to go to on becoming leaders in recycling and the treatment of waste.

SARAH CARR, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Hereford and South Herefordshire.