SIR,

Following Monmouthshire County Council being taken to task over its spelling mistake on the purple co-mingled sacks, it's becoming apparent the County Council is having as much trouble with its arithmetic as it is with its spelling.

Although the County Council has approved the new County Hall project, no one seems to know how big the building should be, or how much it will cost. And now we learn that MCC will have to make cuts of £2.5million in a bid to balance its books.

Given this background, I would like to know why our county councillors voted to scrap the efficient black box recycling service in favour of the co-mingled scheme.

It is well known that kerbside sorted recycling services, such as Monmouthshire's black box service, are cheaper to operate, and better for the environment. This has been confirmed by industry experts at WRAP and the Welsh Assembly.

If the County Council were to reinstate the black box service, this would result in lower waste management costs, lower council tax bills, and a healthier balance sheet.

Steve Rawlings

(Chepstow)