Letter: NFDC wheelie bins costings are fantasy

SIR – Almost crunch time for the introduction of wheelie bins? Your article (A&T, 24th June) certainly helped clarify the situation.

As usual, New Forest District Council has put out what I would call fantasy costings. Most government departments do this in order to paint a rosy picture of what they are doing.

What they don't tell you is that these projections are invariably estimates and subject to change, normally upwards.

Regarding the costs they have put forward totalling £5.6m, I would estimate that these will increase by at least 25%, if not considerably more by the end, painting a whole new picture on the situation.

Plastic wheelie bins for garden waste? Obviously someone in authority in NFDC has never done any gardening in their lives or is rich enough to employ a gardener. Ever seen a 240-litre plastic bin, felt its weight?

The current flexible garden bags may be big, but they are light, flexible and can be dragged around behind you over lumps, bumps and rockeries and are always to hand.

Try doing the same with a massive rigid wheelie bin, particularly if you are elderly or physically challenged or even have limited access to parts of your garden.

Once again NFDC have come up short and not for the first time. Complete lack of thought, let alone experience.

The content of your article indicates to me that wheelie bins could be a done deal, but due process has to be followed so that the authority can at least pretend they have done things the right way.

Pretence at flexibility of who will stay with plastic sacks or have wheelie bins will only increase costs and these will not have been factored into the costs already presented, because at this stage they are unknown.

Are we really this gullible? I think not, but NFDC must think so. Prepare for a big bill!

John Walsh,
Address supplied