Sir, The new Liberal Democrat administration in the Town Hall have pledged to extend the green waste and cardboard collections, now only enjoyed by about 25 per cent of the city at the most, to everyone within months.

I have already discussed this with officers and they are working on bringing this well forward of the date promised by Labour.

We have not said we shall delay the doorstep collection of plastics and low-grade paper for a year, as is wrongly stated in Reg Little's article (June 2).

I can only assume that Reg believed what was mistakenly stated by Friends of the Earth in their letter last week. What we have said is that we shall take a little more time to ensure that residents are able to participate in the new collection routines, by offering a choice of containers for residual refuse.

That means that big wheelie bins will not be forced on people who cannot cope with them. 85 per cent of those who commented online in the council consultation expressed concerns, and it was a frequently raised topic on the doorstep in the elections.

I agree with Andrew Wood that weekly collection of food waste would be something to aim for; this depends on the county-wide waste partnership agreeing to commission the required in-vessel composting facility.

It is high time that the county moved towards an agreed disposal method for the waste collected by the districts.

Once the green waste collections are extended citywide, we shall phase in the new blue boxes and fortnightly residual collections in appropriate containers over a period.

We expect to collect a much higher quantity of recyclables by working with people rather than imposing a new regime with inadequate public engagement.

Jean Fooks, Liberal Democrat portfolio holder for cleaner city, Oxford City Council