Arbitrary shambles of local recycling schemes

SIR – Given that recycling is a national issue, I am amazed that local authorities haven’t established a best practice that they all follow. Almost everywhere I visit has a different variation on what I thought would be a consistent theme.

Introducing a universal scheme would lead to economies of scale with the purchase of equipment such wheelie bins. Consistency would also allow one authority to help out another with ease if the need arose. JD Newman

Hinckley, Leicestershire

SIR – Ann Marvill (Letters, August 30) points out that a lot of packaging cannot be recycled.

During the past few years, the use of non-recyclable sachets and pouches for food and cleaning products has greatly increased. One particular example is the use of pouches for dog or cat food. Where have all the recyclable tins gone? Marilyn Burt

Wokingham, Berkshire

SIR – I moved from Britain to Ecuador a few years ago. At that time, the streets in Quito were plagued with rubbish.

The refuse collection problem was solved at a stroke in 2015, by putting rubbish containers in streets and other strategic locations. Anybody can now freely put their rubbish into the containers whenever they wish. Once a week, a special rubbish truck empties the container.

This scheme has proved incredibly successful and is very popular. Russell Eaton

Quito, Ecuador