FOLLOWING the letter relating to garden waste from Mr Birtwistle (Bury Times, June 14) we would like to reiterate that the grey bin is for the disposal of household waste only and not garden waste.

The environmental protection act 1990 gives councils the power to determine what goes in to the household waste bin and whilst our overall objective is achieving greater participation in recycling schemes across the borough we need to discourage residents from placing garden waste in the grey bin which will only generate a greater disposal cost.

If residents find that a fortnightly collection of the brown bin is insufficient for their waste, composting may be the answer to getting rid of excess garden waste. Composting is not only low cost, it is great for the environment and provides excellent nutrition for the garden.

We all need to do our bit to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and help protect the environment in which we live.

Bury residents can buy a compost bin at a discounted price from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) who run the Recyclenow campaign.

Phone 0845 077 0757 or go online to www.recyclenow.com/compost (quote reference GRM 04W).

GRAHAM ATKINSON Executive director Environment and development services