In a few words

Biodegradable bags

Several years ago I visited Samoa and everything I bought was put in a biodegradable plastic bag. So, like Jim Pollard (Letters, Jul 20), I have wondered, might not supermarket bags be made from similar material? It seems odd that the biodegradable bags I have seen weren’t clear like the current newspaper wrapping; they were translucent. Liz O’Callaghan Burwood

Flooding foolishness

Why was a 380 house subdivision consented for the Cashmere Valley floodplain? John Zeldis Cashmere