And so the Tauranga Rubbish Saga goes on! When I lived in Te Puna West I purchased a plastic bag with my weekly shop and having placed it at the kerb on the right day, it was the last I saw of it. Since then I started living at a retirement village in Pyes Pa. There were four companies doing the rubbish collection with their own colour of bags. It was decided to only allow blue bags as their pick-up truck was smallest and would cause less damage to the street kerbing in the village. The village also collected glass and spent batteries, taking them to the transfer station in Maleme St. It all worked very well as a ratepayer.

Now we have another new system, plastic wheely bins, red or yellow of various sizes together and green food scrap buckets, all of which have to be brought back inside and all have separate trucks visiting each residence. [Abridged].

Peter Turner, Bayview.