SIR,
Your signatures (nearly 2000 of them) will be presented to Full Council on Thursday 8th October by Councillor Jacqui Sullivan.
This marks the 'end of the beginning' not the 'beginning of the end'! Your efforts together with those of the retailers and media, who provided a platform to air the issues, have ensured the County Council are aware of the depth of feeling in the electorate not just about Black Boxes but also about environmental and climate change issues generally.
It also revealed how upset people become if they are first consulted but then are not given an opportunity to see the results of that consultation before their elected representatives decide policy.
Council now has to decide whether or not to halt the headlong rush to purple sacks (co-mingled collections) this December, not early next year as announced by Councillor Saxon on 25th August.
It is possible to continue with the present system while the matter is reconsidered in light of the detailed independent research, which is now available and supports assembly government policy.
The Minister (Jane Davidson) has now unequivocally stated that kerbside sorted (Black Box) recycling is both financially and environmentally the best method.
The additional cost of not adopting this method is currently £20,000 per month when compared to the Council's current plan.
We await the outcome of the Full Council Meeting to see whether your voices have been heeded but I suspect there will be more work to be done.
Thank you for your support so far!
H Cullen-Jones
(On behalf of Monmouth Friends of the Earth)