Mystery of the missing paper pods

DEAR Editor, Last week a number of residents in Southam Road, Hall Green — including ourselves — were surprised and annoyed to find that when the binmen came early on Friday to empty the household refuse. They also emptied the recycling.

Furthermore, some of us discovered that the internal ‘paper pod’ had disappeared completely from inside our bins. The actual recycling team arrived at about 11.40am and could not explain this; but they left all the paper pods out on the footpath instead of putting them back inside the bins as usual.

Again, why? I have telephoned the department concerned and am told that new paper pods will be delivered next week, and have also informed the council department concerned, but nobody has been able to explain these strange actions.

What happened to the paper pods? Surely the operatives would not simply tip them in with general refuse, to be ground into tiny pieces by the machinery inside the lorries?

This whole thing has obviously cost the council money, as new paper pods have to be supplied and delivered — and for what?

Can anyone suggest an explanation, apart from sheer stupidity? And surely this whole episode goes against the government’s demands for recycling to be separated from household rubbish?

David A Hardy, Hall Green, Birmingham