Dangers of bin bags burning

In August, Leeds City Council is expected to start burning up to 214,000 tonnes of Leeds’ black bin waste. I can only imagine all the things that people put in their black bins that should not be in there.

I hope the smoke does not drift this way. What will be in people’s black bins? The old remote control, plastics and maybe even old batteries? The dangerous elements contained in some batteries include, lead, mercury, and cadmium.

In the European Union such batteries must be marked with a crossed out wheeled bin, denoting that they must be recycled. Some good that will do. But only a small percentage of batteries are recycled. So what will happen if lead, mercury, and cadmium batteries are incinerated?

The meaning
of money

From: Aled Jones, Mount Crescent, Bridlington.

MONEY is just pieces of paper (well, cotton fibre and linen rag actually), but it controls our entire lives. How sad and immoral is that? The Bank of England is printing more and more of the stuff, but it doesn’t have enough gold to back it all up. Soon Great Britain will lose its prestige and status in the world.

When this day comes, our paper money will have the exact same value as Third World money. What chance do we have to change things, as there seems to be absolutely no escape?

Unfamiliar face

From: Rhys Thomas, Richmond, North Yorkshire.

ONE of the TV political editors last week mistook Ed Miliband for his brother David, even though the latter has left Parliament to pursue a new career in New York.

It doesn’t bode well for the Labour leader when he is not even recognised by the political commentators who inform us of policies and such like.