I AM writing to agree with Colin Smith about recycling (Oxford Mail letters, December 7). I came back from holiday to find my new bin. I did not want it as I have a composter. But, on reading the letter that came with it, I found that it could be returned.

I phoned the number on the letter and was told it would be collected. So on Tuesday I put it out with the blue boxes. Early in the morning a large red lorry arrived, the man looked in the bin, saw it was empty and left it.

Next came a white lorry and another man, who inspected the bin and then threw it into the back of the lorry Next came the lorry to collect garden rubbish (of which there is not much at this time of year), then eventually the lorry to collect the recycling.

Altogether we had four lorries to collect refuse from a small cul-de-sac.

I understand these food waste bins cost about a fiver each, which is not much until you multiply that figure by all the households in Oxford.

I believe other people have returned them, so would it not have been more economical to send out a letter asking householders if they wanted one and to then deliver them, instead of sending them out willy nilly and having to collect the unwanted ones?

Still, Oxford City Council has never been big on economy.

Of course, if it was really worried about rotting food it could always go back to weekly collections.

Linda King, Cowley, Oxford