Sir,
Recently I was dropping off garden waste at the Salterns civic amenity site in Tenby and overhead two men discussing their 'free' compost bins.
Neither wanted their compost bin, saying they had no use for one, and in any event the bins had no bottoms! Obviously not serious gardeners.
We got into conversation and the men felt that the county council had not consulted anyone; they felt it was stupid to give every householder one without asking if they want one. I have a friend who will take any compost bin that is going, and I, too, would be grateful to receive a few more to go with my wife's existing two very productive ones!
This set me thinking. Will every householder in the county receive a 'free' compost bin, those in flats, those with no gardens as they have been converted to car parks, those who have paved over their gardens because they hate gardening, those who have replaced their bowling greens with tons of gravel and decking?
Now, I am no Monty Don and I do enjoy watching my wife sow and grow her flowers, vegetables and fruit, so I am on the side of a greener earth, but I ask you, compost bins to everyone!
Had the council decided to consult us mortals, I would have said 'Give to those who want, and by the way have you thought it might have been better to give every householder a water butt? After all, water is becoming, indeed has become, a scarce commodity?'
And further more, instead of using our precious rates to give away 'free' compost bins - are they really free? - why not force the water companies, who are making huge profits, to supply every householder with a water butt or two, bearing in mind the flat dwellers may have a problem placing one.
I would go even further and suggest that the utilities, which do not belong to one person, or one company or even one shareholder, but to all of us human beings, should be re-nationalised. I know, that may seem very political, actually it is matter of social justice. Read the gospels.
Michael Doyle, Penally.