PLEASE help this disabled 92-year-old fellow with regard to recycling and his out of date desire to assist rubbish collectors. With others in West Devon, months ago I was issued with containers for the varieties of waste produced by a household. These are:

l 1 big green box for all recyclable waste,

l 1 small blue box for food waste,

l 1 large blue box for food waste,

l 1 white canvas bag for garden waste and brown cardboard.

This alternates every other week with an ordinary rubbish bag for disposable rubbish.

To assist the refuse collectors each week we have separated out the categories of recyclable waste, glass, milk bottles etc, metal, batteries etc, into each of its own plastic bag for ease in separation. We have very little food waste, which sits wrapped in a recyclable cover on the bottom of the small blue box.

The larger blue box because it fits snugly into our 'utility room', we use for recyclable paper, magazines etc, having covered with plastic strips, marked appropriately, over the words 'Food Waste' only. Thus all paper waste is in one easily separate place.

Each week up to April 26 (our collection day), all collections from these containers were made as expected with the empty containers being replaced very kindly in our conservatory.

On Friday, April 26 the contractor's man emptied the big box, the small blue box of its small 'parcel'. He opened the big blue box in which he saw paper — no food — so he closed it.

The cardboard correctly put in the canvas bag was not collected.

On telephoning West Devon Borough Council, a lady whose name I have, told me that it was quite right, the paper in the big blue box should not be collected. It would have been against the rules for him to have done so. So he opened, he looked and closed the box again, leaving the paper uncollected.

I absolutely despair.

Brian Blakeway

Germansweek