Going undercover

“We dutifully place our old newspapers and plastic containers in one bin, garden waste in another and general rubbish in a third, while making sure to take our glass jars and bottles to bottle banks,” writes a Craigie regular.

“We very rarely have any waste food. What little we frugal Scots leave goes to the birds,” he says.

“Our daughter down in Dorset has an even fussier council which demands that used tins should also be placed in a special bin. She meticulously washes everything except general rubbish and newspapers before putting plastic and tin receptacles out for collection.

“More and more reports, however, are appearing in the Press that all the carefully separated and cleaned material meant for recycling is actually being dumped in landfill in this country or, worse still, transported by sea to Asia and elsewhere to be either burned or buried there.

“There have been many undercover investigations in the past. Wouldn’t it be interesting for the BBC or some other television company to screen a clandestine investigation into what actually happens to all that waste so many of us sort and clean so carefully?

“It could be an eye-opener and perhaps make some of the enthusiasts for recycling and conservation sit up and take notice. It could all be a waste of their – and our – time!”