EACH week readers send letters into the Guardian on all manner of topics they want to have a say on.

Here reader CJ Moore shares her thoughts on the changes to bin collections in Cheshire West and Chester.

She wrote: "I am appalled that Cheshire West and Chester Council is planning to degrade its garden waste collection like this.

"Was their declaration of a Climate Emergency just a load of hot air?

"Garden waste is by far the easiest waste to recycle – it basically just needs to be dumped in a big pile, and the micro-organisms go to work for free, turning it into nutritious compost. 

"This could be huge money saver/maker for the council, donating it to town and parish councils, to save them money from their precepts, and also selling to constituents.

"This would save tons of peat lands being destroyed, ahead of the delayed government ban.

"Instead of saving the council money and fuel use, this ill-considered change will end up costing more in monetary and climate terms, due to increased fly-tipping, and people just dumping garden waste in their black bins, to be incinerated, pumping tonnes more unnecessary CO2 into the atmosphere.

"Or is this the plan, to deal with the over-capacity of incinerators in the borough?

"While I’m on the subject, the quickest and easiest way to reduce emissions in Cheshire West would be to shut down the Runcorn incinerator, or at least make them add a CCS system.

"When the new incinerator at Lostock starts up, things will become even worse. I cannot believe that installing CCS was not a requisite of planning consent.

"Other people will just pave over their gardens, exacerbating the next flooding event, or burn the waste in their gardens, adding to the air pollution problems we are already suffering from.

"People are always complaining about hedges encroaching on footpaths. I have already had trouble with mine, which needed to be cut back severely for this very reason, due to suspension of green bin collections because of Covid.

"This kind of work has to be done over winter, when CWAC are planning to permanently suspend the collections. It is actually illegal to cut hedges during the summer, due to breeding birds.

"Last, but not least, the recycling rates have stalled – with this degradation of the garden waste recycling service, recycling rates will plummet.

"What is behind the ridiculous idea of replacing the recycling boxes with TWO huge bins?

"Councils which use wheelie bins for recycling only have one, for all dry recycling.

"I’m sure I can’t be the only person that doesn’t consume vast quantities of fizzy drinks, or buy tons of unnecessary tat from Amazon every week, so I never fill either recycling box.

"How much will be squandered on buying new vehicles and new wheelie bins and what will happen to the old vehicles and boxes?

"Finally, the so-called consultation was a total farce - any valid consultation would have the status quo as an option.

"Less than seven per cent of eligible people responded, probably the majority didn’t, as both options were bad.

"If 73 per cent of respondents agreed with the council’s key priorities, they are going to be very angry with this decision which will achieve the exact opposite – increase overall waste, reduce recycling and deliver a degraded service with a vast initial cost, and additional ongoing costs to deal with the inevitable consequences. Where did they get the given figures for savings?

"They obviously do not take into account the unintended consequences.

"If CWAC were really serious about dealing with the Climate Emergency, and not decreasing recycling rates, they would be leaving services as they are, changing to electric vehicles and installing solar panels on the roofs of the depot and all council buildings.

"I really hope the councillors will listen to sense, and reject this disastrous degradation of what has been a really great service."

Have your say: Send your letters and club news to northwich@guardiangrp.co.uk