RECYCLING

I WAS bemused by your article (Echo, Aug 15) about the recycling facilities for drink cartons Durham City Council is finally involved in providing for residents.

It is encouraging, though, to see that the Liberal Democrats are finally following Labour's lead on campaigning for better facilities.

At the recent local elections, Labour made specific pledges to extend doorstep recycling to cardboard and garden waste and to provide facilities for recycling plastics if we regained control of the council.

The LibDems included no specific environmental pledges (simply talking about looking at this and trying to increase that) other than to keep the hay meadows.

Their trend of much talk and little action continued at the last council meeting. Labour put forward a motion to cut the council's carbon emissions by at least ten per cent over two years. The LibDems, however, amended it to simply recommend a report on the issue, putting any actual action to tackle climate change off by at least ten months.

I hope this explains Labour councillors' bemusement at the recent announcement. The LibDems have so far resisted action, content with simply talking, and are only now (under pressure from Labour) taking some of the necessary steps to help save our environment. - Councillor Peter Mitchell, Labour, Durham.