Rubbish response

While it is welcome news that the huge amount of waste pap ere tc that is generated for little other than its irritation ‘value’ will “be turned into renewable energy” – though the use of ‘renewable’ in this context is a total misnomer – (Brian Ferguson, The Scotsman ,3 August ), more energy will have to be put into emptying the fancy new bins with their not very funny comic entreaties to put our rubbish in them.

On Sunday night, on a trip over from Glasgow, where at

least the streets likely to be seen by athletes and visitors to the European Games are cleaned, all the way up South Bridge the new Festival bins were stuffed to overflowing.

Some success, then, and they were at least being used but the adjacent pavements, almost impassable with festival crowds, were unpleasantly strewn with single use cups, discarded fast food wrappers

and food, plastic bottles and a huge amount of those useless Fringe flyers.

The streets were worse as I fought my way back after a superb opera to the station.

At least the train service to the west has – so far – much improved on last year, but the streets of the Capital are filthier than ever.

Get real, Edinburgh: you do not need a fancy mis-named

rubbish use system until you can pick the detritus off the streets. You are badly in need of more bin men and street cleaners.

DR ALAN RODGER Clairmont Gardens, Glasgow