COUNCILS are probably going to charge us all for rubbish collection by weight.

What are they thinking of!

This island is already sinking under a deluge of discarded rubbish and litter. This proposal will lead to an unprecedented increase in illegal dumping in both town and country.

It is imperative to change our attitude to rubbish and its disposal. How can this be achieved?

Make it worth our while to do so, and suffer severe penalties if we don't. The carrot and stick approach.

The carrot: money off/vouchers towards a reduction in council tax for sorted and recycled waste taken to, and weighed, at disposal sites. Shops set up at disposal sites for discarded items with a resale value.

The stick: stringent enforcement of litter and fly-tipping by-laws by litter community support officers. These should be paid for by a levy on supermarkets and fast food outlets of a certain size, as they create most of our rubbish. Supermarkets could also work with schools in a proactive way, with decent competitions for anti-rubbish/litter posters, rubbish bin designs etc.

This problem is going to haunt us all for generations unless we all change our ways.

Let's do it now!

MRS A ADAMS, Dilton Marsh