I would like to reply to Justin Walden's letter on the recycling scheme (Oxford Mail, November 29).

He suggests that the council could be breaking the law by introducing alternate weekly collections.

Residents can be assured that the council is not in breach of the law as the legislation referred to has been repealed.

Under Section 43 of the Public Health Act 1875, an occupier of a house could write to the council and require it to remove house refuse within seven days, or the council had to pay them five shillings for every day it wasn't collected.

This section was repealed by Section 346 of the Public Health Act 1936, Schedule 3, Part 1, but the same requirement was included in Section 72(2) of the Public Health Act 1936.

This section was repealed by the Control of Pollution Act 1974 (Commencement No 19) Order 1988 and the collection of waste duly was then included in Section 12 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. This was subsequently repealed by Section 162 and Schedule 16 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The duty to collect household waste is now included in Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

This section of the Act does not make any reference to collection timescales.

It is therefore clear that the council is not breaking any laws with collection arrangements for the recycling scheme.

IAN WRIGHT Manager, Public Health Team Oxford City Council