Wirral News letters: February 2

Feb 2 2011 Birkenhead News

Recycling: Why bother?

I WOULD like to say what a complete farce the council waste system is becoming.

I have been driven nuts..

Everyone in our household has full-time jobs. My wife has been bending my ear for weeks to make sure all rubbish is separated and recycled. This I have done.

Then my wife, the love of my life, asks me to take bulky items to the local Bidston waste site as it great for the environment so I agreed.

I arranged with my son to borrow a van so I could go to the tipping site as I have a day off work.

After five minutes my son calls me back and says ‘wait for it, you will like this dad’... you need a permit to tip if you have a van. If you use a car and trailer, that’s fine.

I called the council and was given the same information.

I replied with laughter and said: “I wish to help the environment by bringing my household waste to your recycle centre. I cannot put it in my car as it’s not ideal. You say I need a trailer. I don’t have a trailer. I can get a van but I need a permit which you tell me takes three days. Even if I had hired a van to tip my waste I cannot do it anyway.”

I now know why there is so much fly-tipping in the Wirral. I expect those people are irresponsible but it should be easier to recycle and not made harder.

Let’s give the people of Wirral the chance to come along and tip. Recycling. It’s a joke. I don’t know why I bother.

Name and address supplied

It’s a mess

TINA Black wrote to the Wirral News (January 19) complaining about the filthy state of our streets and asking that Wirral Council clean them up.

With respect, it is not the council that creates the mess but a small minority of ignorant, lazy and thoughtless people.

Wirral Council has to spend millions of pounds of our money each year cleaning up after these unfortunate stupid people; money that could be much better spent on care for the elderly or a hundred other worthwhile things.

The days of expecting the public services to do everything are over. Times have changed, there is no money to spare and we live in Cameron’s “Big Society” now whether we like it or not.

If all shopkeepers and houseowners were to clean up around their properties this would help enormously.

The idiots responsible for the mess don’t care about fines – they probably don’t care about anything!

It’s up to the decent majority of us to show them how to behave and respect their environment and respect others.

Name and address supplied

We’ll help

I WAS very interested in the letter by DS Bollans (January 26) expressing concerns about lack of awareness to visual disability.

As a representative from The Wirral Society of The Blind and Partially Sighted, I would like to reiterate these difficulties.

We are very aware of the problems faced by visually impaired people.

As a society, we promote self-help and independence; this is made extremely difficult by barriers faced in our society.

We believe that there is still a lack of awareness and empathy within the community to these difficulties.

The fact that everyday tasks can be made nearly impossible is an issue that we are constantly trying to address.

We are always happy to advise organisations and service providers regarding accessible provision.

We endeavour to ensure that people who are experiencing difficulties receive the assistance and support needed to improve this situation.

I would like to thank DS Bollans for bringing this issue to the attention of readers. We can be contacted on 0151 652 8877.

Lynne Sedgwick

Wirral Society of The Blind and Partially Sighted

Human rights?

I WAS interested to see readers’ very strong views in connection with Mrs Tucker’s ‘human rights’ over her daughter’s nose stud.

I wholeheartedly agree with all those views so well expressed.

If only parents gave their support to the schools and used their energies in fighting for more self discipline, higher standards of achievement, and more concern for their child’s progress. I can never understand how we all know of human rights, but have not actually read anything on it, but it seems a powerful approach in getting what we want, and it was certainly not intended for such trivial use.

I did wonder whether her daughter is aware of her ‘rights’ in that she can get the contraceptive pill without her mother’s permission or knowledge? Does that ‘right’, appeal to Mrs Tucker?

Name and address supplied