THE amount of waste that Blackburn with Darwen is recycling has increased significantly in recent times, but with the new waste collection schedule it is now ignoring its environmental responsibilities.

The new ruling coalition have not checked their recycling obligations in their quest for votes and by not doing so they are not only putting the environment under pressure, but they are risking hefty fines.

Environment Agency regulations are in place to ensure that, year on year, less waste goes into landfill sites by encouraging recycling.

Our landfill capacity is being stretched to the limit so this is becoming increasingly important.

Fines for increased landfill will measure in millions of pounds, and probably will not afffect the council taxpayers for a couple of years, but the writing is on the wall. Just how much do the council tax payers want to pay?

Those councillors who courted popularity with promises of weekly collections, either did not do their homework or were completely naive and realise the enormous future costs to the residents of the borough.

They have acted completely irresponsibly by spending £1.7million on smaller bins.

If many of the borough's residents do not recycle now with a large bin, the back streets are going to be overflowing with rubbish with the new smaller bins.

MIKE MADIGAN, Notre Dame Gardens, Blackburn.