All this talk of increased rat infestation in Oxford City since fortnightly collections and now question marks over this country's local councils’ lack of knowledge about what actually happens to our ‘recycled’ rubbish made me think, while visiting my daughter in a small village just outside Turin.

No kitchen edible waste filling wheelie bins there. Instead they collect it in a lidded bin in the garden then add maggots, seal them in and let them biodegrade the waste quickly and efficiently, turning it into good-quality compost and, although the maggots do multiply, a steady business deal supplying local fishermen keeps the remaining ‘workers’ in healthy numbers continuing to work their little butts off.

I’ve never seen this done here but perhaps the ‘green-fingered brigade’ can prove me wrong.

Michael Heavey Oxford Road Old Marston Oxford