SO OXFORD City Council has at long last realised that the system of recycling our rubbish is too complicated, and that instead of using boxes we are now going to be able to put recyclables altogether in one blue wheelie bin.

I know it’s easy to say ‘I told you so’, but before the system of recycling even began, I wrote to city councillor Jean Fooks, telling her that boxes would not be big enough to hold all recycled rubbish if people were sorting out their rubbish thoroughly. I knew this from experience of recycling boxes in Cherwell District, where the council soon found that boxes were not adequate.

I told the council that boxes get stolen easily; get broken by being thrown down by the collection men; lids get blown off by the wind; boxes get used to pack stuff in when students leave university; boxes are awkward for the binmen to empty – and that none of this happens with wheelie bins.

They ask for people’s input, and use a lot of money to send out questionnaires to consult the public. Yet they do not seem listen to our opinions.

Yes, the present method is too complicated, especially for students. In spite of their intelligence they still seem to find it too difficult to sort out their rubbish and end up having overflowing green wheelie bins.

Yet it is we, the real residents, who will be having our council tax increased through Government fines due to too much landfill rubbish.

The council said it would no longer take rubbish in black bags outside wheelie bins and that it would fine those who did not recycle thoroughly.

The most I have seen them do is to send a letter to the culprits – and they still pick up the extra black bags.

I wonder if they could provide a tutorial for all new students on the subject.

PAMELA WEBBER, Bullingdon Road, Oxford