It is now well over a year since the beginning of the Tauranga region rubbish collection. When the scheme was first mooted there was the usual outcry about the cost, bin size, varied needs of the local citizens – all good examples of exercising our democratic rights.

As general rule, minus the current shortage of truck drivers, the scheme appears to work quite efficiently. What amazes me, though, is the amount of rubbish including paper, bottles and cans that continues to litter the roadside. Down my little ‘dead end' streets area I regularly pick up rubbish. The record was two large bags in one day. Another record was six face masks in one day. Now that's interesting! Surely we can do much better than this.

Ruth Linton, Poike.