Picture Ref: 76929-21RUBBISH: GAVIN Calthrop, spokesman for Swindon Council, answers some of your questions.

Q 'Is it true that this has been rushed through because of the General Election and not enough planning went into it?'

A No. The scheme had a start date of April 1 so that the council could meet its recycling targets for the coming year. A lot of planning did go into this but it is a massive undertaking and there are bound to be some problems in the initial stages of any such radical change to recycling and rubbish collection. The council apologises for any inconvenience caused and can assure people that its dedicated recycling team is working hard to resolve all problems."

Q Why are flats not included in the recycling scheme?

A All local authorities have difficulty including flats in recycling schemes because invariably there is nowhere to leave the boxes outside doors and a pile of boxes in a designated area has health and safety implications. However the recycling team has been tasked with finding a way of extending the service to flats and budget permitting will be looking to incorporate them in the next twelve months."

Q Why did some flats in Park North not receive an information leaflet?

A There may well have been some flats who currently have a black bag rubbish collection service who did not get the information leaflet and the council apologises for this. We are sending out leaflets to any people that have not had one as soon as we are made aware."

Q Why do the council collect rubbish, green waste and recycling on different days?

A Logistics make it impossible to collect everything all on one day. We have looked at different options but this is the only way.