"It's funny how most new ideas from the council are announced in the run-up to local elections, isn't it? Nonetheless, it is good that the Labour council administration is thinking about environmental issues, such as wheelie bins.

The Labour leader of the council talks about the scheme making it "fantastically easy to recycle" and giving residents "options". His Conservative opponent complains about black bags and recycling boxes making Merton look "third world".

Merton Liberal Democrats are more concerned by the practicalities and effectiveness of the scheme than by its appearance.

Having two wheelie bins could indeed make recycling easier. Wheelies could also prevent litter being spread by animals or the wind.

However, there are issues that must be considered. For example, would residents get the "option" of keeping their current boxes and bags if they couldn't store two new bins? How would the council deal with bins blocking the streets, if residents aren't able to fit them on their property on collection day? How would this system work for Merton's many flats?

Finally, would we recycle more and landfill less? We currently separate our recycling to be sent to different places. If the new scheme has just one bin for recycling, will we pay extra for the material to be separated, or will we send the whole lot to somewhere new, such as the facility operated by Liberal Democrat-run Sutton Council? Or is there a risk of it being shipped abroad and being made someone else's problem?"

LIB DEM ONLINE POLL
The results of our online poll on whether residents want wheelie bins for recycling and rubbish are as follows:

"Yes definitely" - 40.5% "There would be advantages - but let's not rush into it" - 49.4%
"Definitely not" - 8.9%
"Don't know" - 1.3%

Poll conducted 4 Mar 2006 to 6 April 2006