Reports that Secretary of State for Environment, Caroline Spelman, is to scrap unworkable bin regulations, rubbish charges and fines should be welcome news for Forest households. It would save councils huge amounts in complex and unworkable collection systems and enforcement.

Present legislation allows councils to fine people  significant sums if they make mistakes when sorting their waste for recycling or leave bin lids open or put side waste (placing rubbish sacks next to their wheelie bins) for collection.

According to Local Government Minister Bob Neill and Environment Minister Lord Henley 'some penalties are even bigger than those imposed for shoplifting and people are fed up.'

Rubbish fines and taxes are seen by many councils as sources of additional income, same as parking charges and fines. Enforcement requires an army of staff and once started, these become permanent fixtures that councils just cannot do without.

My hat is off to Secretaries of State Caroline Spellman and Eric Pickles for their brilliant brain-wave to force councils to re-think on fortnightly collection and inefficient multi-bin recycling systems which are unworkable without coercive bin-rules, chips, and enforcement.

Households expect an easy to use and regular waste collection for their council tax – not a reduced service involving a multitude of bins and confusing restrictions.

There is also a question mark on the fairness of the proposed charged garden waste service – whether the charge will meet the full cost of the service or whether the majority not subscribing will end up subsidising the privilege of the minority.

Councils such as the Forest of Dean are patently ignoring Government pleas to maintain weekly waste collections by proposing fortnightly rounds from 2012.

I do sincerely hope the council has a serious re-think and scraps its arrangements for fortnightly bin collections and streamlines recycling to save cost and improve environmental efficiency.

– Venk Shenoi, Blaisdon.