As many of your readers will be aware the council is now well underway with the borough-wide introduction of wheelie bins. Although in the main this has gone smoothly, we have experienced some teething problems. We know that some collections have been mi

As many of your readers will be aware the council is now well underway with the borough-wide introduction of wheelie bins.

Although in the main this has gone smoothly, we have experienced some teething problems. We know that some collections have been missed and some have taken place later than normal.

I would like to apologise to those residents who have been inconvenienced, and also thank them for their patience. I can assure everyone that our refuse crews and back office staff are working incredibly hard to iron out the problems. The crews are getting used to new equipment and new rounds, and inevitably this may take some time to get right. On behalf of everyone at the council I thank them for their efforts, which are greatly appreciated.

The good news is that with your help recycling rates have jumped 10 per cent rising now to a new high of 35 per cent. Also there has been an 11 per cent reduction in the amount of household waste we produce. Not only is this good for the environment, it is also good news for council tax payers because it will save millions of pounds in landfill tax in future years.

Darren Henaghan,

Divisional Director of environment and enforcement services,

Barking and Dagenham Council