I HAVE to contradict Cllr Nick Peel's claims that the slim bins his party introduced to the borough are working.

They are not, Cllr Peel.

In The Bolton News on Saturday, you labelled Cllr Wild's statement about the increase in rubbish dumping since the new bins were introduced as "really irresponsible" — even though Cllr Wild is taking numerous calls from members of the public to affirm his statement.

As one of the town's many volunteer litter pickers, I feel I have a handle on the situation.

I could produce dozens of photographs of overflowing recycling bins . . . not however, overflowing with recycled material, but with household rubbish, supermarket bags just dumped in back streets filled with the same, large black bin liners stuffed with tins, vegetable peelings, stale bread, plastic trays . . . just tossed in the hedgerows.

A few months ago, I was bagging all this up but, guess what?

I'm fed up with it. The slim bin has been an unmitigated and very expensive failure.

I remember writing in this column when the daft idea was first mooted, knowing that those who didn't already recycle wouldn't suddenly take it on board.

I was right, they haven't.

But, unfortunately, we are stuck with the slim bins and all we want from the Labour councillors is an acknowledgement of the failure and the true figures of the amount of household fly-tipping they are being asked to move and dispose of.

Dorothy Syddall

Over Hulton