AS a newcomer to the area I was surprised to find a refuse/recycling system imposed on me that doesn't actually serve my needs or those of the environment.

I am in favour of recycling, which is why I set up my own compost system to fertilise my garden when I moved here. I first researched what was safe to compost and anything else I put in the dustbin as general household rubbish.

Items to keep out of the compost included cooked, dairy products, bones, bread, meat and fish scraps, cat litter, dog poo and disposable nappies. It was stated on websites and in books that the above posed a heath risk or would attract vermin or pests.

Likewise with garden waste collections (due soon to be implemented) there are certain weeds that need to be burned rather than recycled, and a list of some of these are on the West Devon website.

To this list I would also add English Ivy which, although attractive in moderation, is an invasive vine that can easily get out of control, affecting biodiversity of plant species and eventually killing trees if mature ivy reaches the crown. It is hard to eradicate via composting (or even weed killer) and some US states have even banned it.

As each resident is responsible for their own weeds, can I recommend that at the very least the flowering heads of the mature ivy are chopped off before they seed and are either burned (ideally) or double bagged to be buried for the tip?

I shall continue to put items in the dustbin that are not safe to compost, and burn invasive weeds to protect the biodiversity of both my own garden and the environment.

Linda Bowman, Tavistock

ANN Keelan (Letters, September 16) claims I made an awful lot of assumptions about her recycling habits. My letter the previous week made no such assumptions and merely suggested a couple of possible explanations for her desire to have her dustbin emptied every week.

The money saved by the new scheme is merely a pleasant side effect and not the major point at the heart of it, which is living a more sustainable life.

Her claims of extra vermin, bonfires and fly tipping woefully miss the point and she makes no attempt to justify her presumptions of what is likely to happen under the new scheme. With cooked food waste now able to put out in a sealed container there is clearly less scope for vermin to feed on it because they will be less able than before to access it, as can happen when said waste goes out for the bins in a plastic bag not in a sealed container.

The idea of more fly tipping and bonfires are also patently ridiculous. With every household soon to have their garden waste collected from the kerb side there will be even less reason for domestic bonfires than there is at present. Furthermore, how much rubbish, destined for landfill, will there be for irresponsible fly tipping with so much of it being recycled?

I would also like to point out that even if I were to elevate myself to a tower of any sort the last thing I would make it out of would be ivory, which would not only be utterly unethical and prohibitively expensive, but also highly illegal.

Dave Goodwin, Sticklepath

MS Keelan questions whether real value for money was achieved from the waste contract.

West Devon Borough Council used a 'competitive dialogue' process in the contract procurement instead of the more traditional approach. This involved robust negotiation throughout all stages. Initially, 16 companies were interested in our contract. Finally, three companies went head to head for the work and members had no doubt that there was genuine competition leading up to the contract award.

Ms Keelan overlooks the consequences of an extra £260,000 per year on the council tax over the life of the contract to retain the status quo. Each additional 1% of council tax levied generates £39,000 in cash for the borough council. Retaining the old service would therefore have cost residents an extra 6.6% in council tax per year on its own, with no increasing improvement in our recycling rates, resulting in significant extra cost to all from future landfill tax levies.

As to vermin and the other concerns she raised, food waste will be collected weekly from everyone using lockable rigid containers. More materials can now be recycled through the weekly green box collection. The well used bulky waste service is always available for those residents who require it.

We have issued extensive guidance about the new system and a dedicated team of staff are available to deal with queries on 01822 813600. If householders use the new service to the full these worries should not arise.

The new service gives better value to all residents while saving costs. It is encouraging that a large proportion of the West Devon public seem to understand that in relation to this service.

Cllr Robert Sampson

Chairman

West Devon Borough Council environment and community committee