OXFORD residents have now experienced a blue bin invasion.

I may add that this system has been in operation in some parts of the country for quite some time but we in Oxford are playing catch up.

And don’t be fooled by the microchip inside, they’re not just put there for fun.

Those households who already have a blue bin which they paid for are not going to be reimbursed for the £20 which they had to pay to acquire them.

And what is going to happen to the boxes which are not going to be used anymore? Are they going to be collected up and recycled, therefore getting some of the wasted thousands of pounds back?

I would like to see John Tanner on Mastermind and when asked what is your specialised subject I’m sure he would reply: ‘How to waste council tax money’.

Money is supposed to be tight at the moment, and we are all asked to tighten our belts. So how can the council get away with something like this? Remember the working men who empty these new bins are on a pay freeze.

Let’s all hope that this latest scheme works in Oxford. It should, it does in other places. Then, perhaps, we can stop wasting money.

COLIN SMITH, Former shop steward, Oxford City Council Cleansing Department, Oxford