Sir - What do the cynics say when you mention recycling? One of the things they say is "all the plastic goes to China anyway, so why bother!" Well recyclers take heart.

A new recycling plant is due to open at the end of this year in Dagenham which will take one third of all the plastic bottles collected in the UK.

What has allowed this to happen? A reliable supply of recyclable plastic collected by local councils, and separated from the rubbish by us all, that's what! It couldn't have happened unless doorstep recycling had happened, creating a reliable supply of material. Well done to all recyclers - you have made a difference.

Other good news is that it's a new process which makes the recycled plastic clean enough to be used in the food and drink industry - the largest and most profitable market for plastic - fetching a price up to ten times higher than the old process.

This long-term investment may also be driven by rising oil prices (plastic is made from oil), making recycled plastic more and more valuable over the coming decades. That value will drive investment in new technology.

That old technology, the municipal waste incinerator (aka energy from waste) may end up with nothing left to burn!

Steve Gerrish, Kidlington