ALTHOUGH not opposed to the principle of recycling, I fail to see the advantage of going to the expense of doing so in the case of newspaper and garden refuse.

A well-run landfill site, surely, acts in the same way as a domestic compost heap, except that at a landfill site the gases are usually collected, whereas those from domestic heaps are liberated into the atmosphere.

Glass and plastic do not present any great danger to the environment and more pollution is probably created by the transportation of them from collection sites to disposal point.

I recently has the the opportunity to see the excavation of two former landfill sites and, in both cases, the sub-soil seemed to be of a healthy consistency. Granted, I was not in a position to carry out a scientific chemical analysis for heavy metals etc., but apart from the visible presence of some plastic and glass it appeared 'healthy.'

Items like fridges, cars, computers and batteries etc., because of their chemical and metal content, do present a serious pollution problem and I would suggest that an unpopular tax on such items at the point of manufacture, to be refunded to the person who proves they have disposed of such items in an approved manner, might help prevent future pollution.

I can't help feeling that the Council Tax payers are duped into thinking they will be saving money on landfill tax, only to find they will pay far more for recycling.

L LAWES, Bold Street, Blackburn.