YOUR story last week (right) ignores the real issue. Bury, like other councils, has a role to save this planet by disposing of refuse responsibly.

We have a proud record, achieved with residents' help. In Bury we are exceeding targets set by central government and have diverted 6,847 tonnes from landfill in the first quarter of this year! (This saved a quarter of a million pounds in landfill tax).

We have a fantastic record and now recycle 24.7 per cent of all our refuse and are about to add cardboard collections soon.

But we can't stop there. We need to continue to reduce our waste and we must, where possible, increase further our recycling targets and tonnages.

One way of doing this is to raise awareness by using targeted campaigns to encourage those who have not fully come on board with the recycling message to join in with our avid recyclers.

We need the help of the community to sort different materials into the different bins.

We also need information to enable us to plan and collect as cheaply as we can.

These so called spies' tell us an address, no more. No weight, no names, no contents. As a spy', not too much information really. By 2007 the government insists that all households should be able to recycle two different materials at kerbside and we will need to prove that we are doing our bit.

Collecting the information using chips is the only way we can monitor and prove our successful participation.

From the council that led the way nationally by introducing wheelie bins, we want to lead the way by doing this environmentally vital task efficiently and cheaply. With your help we can.

Residents now have the chance to win £50 of their shopping bill by joining in with the paper recycling scheme.

So come on Bury - help us stay one of the greenest authorities in Britain!

MARK SANDERS, Bury Council Chief Executive