Thinking that surely there had to be some logical explanation, I decided to ring NE Derbyshire District Council (after all, the week before they'd forgotten to empty my blue box and had to return the next day to do so).

However, the explanation given by the operator was beyond belief and I had to check the date with the calendar to make sure it wasn't April Fool's Day!

Apparently, after the bins are loaded onto the dustbin vehicle, the operators are instructed to give "just two taps" and any waste which hasn't emerged by then is simply left behind and returned to the owner!

As a council tax payer, I make a lot of effort to ensure that my waste goes into the correct places. In return, why can't the council make the effort to ensure it is removed? What do other readers think.

CAROLINE LIDYARD,
Address supplied.

* Mailbox contacted NE Derbyshire District Council for a response. It said: "The normal procedure when processing wheelie bins would be to run through the vehicles emptying cycle once. If the operator notices that there is refuse stuck in the bin it is put through the cycle again. There is a facility to "knock" the bin at the top of the cycle to try and dislodge any remaining waste. The bin would then be returned to the collection point.

"Our employees are not expected to reach into bins to remove any waste that may be jammed in, they have no way of knowing what is contained in the bin therefore actions of this kind would pose a health and safety risk.

"Any waste remaining would then become the responsibility of the resident to loosen or remove; it would not be picked up until the next scheduled collection day.

"We do advise any residents, experiencing this problem with green waste, that they should line the bin with several layers of paper or card as this usually prevents the grass from sticking enabling the bin to be fully emptied."