I support Brighton and Hove City Council's plan to pilot large communal wheelie bins as a way of getting black bags off the pavements (The Argus, July 29).

Worries about misuse could be addressed by making them lockable and providing keys to residents, as happens elsewhere.

Or they could be emptied daily, as also happens elsewhere (Rome, for example).

But the council also needs to accept responsibility for the collection of trade waste.

In the city's main streets, pavements are deeply grease-stained mainly because restaurants, pubs and cafes put out bags for private contractor collection.

The bags are no more immune to foxes, rats and seagulls than residential bags.

How we got to a situation where the council takes the money from businesses but doesn't provide the one service they most need, I don't know.

In a tourist city, everyone would benefit if the council collected trade waste along with domestic waste and in the city centre this could and should be done once or twice a day, as happens in civilised cities all over Europe.

-Trevor Pateman, Hove