Recycling bins are not emptied as often as necessary and, frequently, cans, bottles and papers accumulate in quantities greater than the bins can cope with.

Additional plastic bags and cardboard containers are filled by the conscientious public and left alongside the filled containers.

One day last week, at about 9.30am, I was walking along Church Road, Hove, at the point where it becomes Western Road, just in time to see a small open-topped Brighton and Hove City Council rubbish van arrive at the bins near the church at this point.

The re-cycling bins provided were overflowing and an equal quantity of re-usable items was neatly stacked alongside.

I was horrified to observe the rubbish collectors quickly collect all the surplus bags of re-cycling and throw them on to the already collected street rubbish stacked in the van.

A good 50 per cent of what the caring public had left for re-use thus became rubbish.

Recognising the importance of re-using our waste, new legislation will soon enable offenders irresponsibly discarding their usable rubbish to be fined.

As I watched the council workers blatantly waste these carefully collected materials, I could not but wonder if councils will also be taken to court for anti-social behaviour such as this.

-Dr Bob Potter, Addison Road, Hove