RECENTLY the mundane event of collecting household waste became a talking point for your paper and residents of some areas of Darwen and Blackburn.

Nobody argues against the dire necessity for recycling, if the world does not want to drown in rubbish. It is a brilliant, albeit not a new idea.

The main concern is the way this idea is being realised in the experimental areas of Darwen and Blackburn, which is utterly unacceptable.

Why should this be done at the cost of deterioration of the long-existing, important and efficient service of collection of domestic waste from the residents, turning it into a third-rate service?

A lot of people agree that emptying the grey bins, which are intended for perishable house waste, once a fortnight, is unsatisfactory due to the fact that this waste goes into the bin when it is already not fresh.

Wrapping it in bags simply expedites the process of rotting because most of the bacteria are anaerobic anyway. By the end of the first week the bin stinks to the skies. This attracts flies and rats.

Imagine what is going to happen in summer with a fortnightly collection. Also it makes it necessary to wash the bins much more often, which is not an easy task.

The recycling programme was introduced without consultation with the residents. The four receptacles are excessive and cause us problems finding the place to keep them out of sight.

We spend money and effort to make our gardens attractive -- four ugly bins are not part of this effort!

Section 46 (2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 reads: "The kind and number of the receptacles required to be used shall be such and only such as reasonable for waste which is to be recycled and waste which is not." This makes two bins only.

LUDMILLA SEMENOVA, St James Road, Blackburn.