I WAS interested in reading the letter headed 'Exorbitant Charges' in which the writer complains about the council's plan to charge £26 per year for collecting our garden waste.

When the green bin collection was first introduced I was grateful for the service since I have a large garden and am unable to compost all its waste and to have it collected used to cost me £25 per load.

Unlike the letter writer  I did not think I was entitled to this service for free, but was grateful that it came free. But 'free' does not exist and the disposal of our waste is costly whichever the route used  by the council or any other body, and the waste, whether garden or household, is the waste we, the householders, produce.

We, the householders, should feel responsible for its proper disposal, not think that it is the responsability of the council. We are the producers of the waste not the council.

I too am a council tax payer, but I do not think that I am entitled to every service for free. I go even so far as to question the free bus pass for the over 60s, of which I am also a beneficiary. The money must come from somewhere and in tight budget times some services become less affordable or not affordable at all.

Let's make some comparisons, pound for pound. How much does £1 buy nowadays? Not very much, not even a litre of petrol. I do not think that a charge of £26 a year, or £1 per collection, is an excessive charge and I shall be personally glad to have this service. I find the letter writer's reasoning and advice rather misguided.

– Anna Hurwitz, Coalway.