MORE RECYCLING RUBBISH

09-11-2006

Just days after the Stern report warned of thelooming catastrophethe world faces from global warming, Edward Cameron has photogrpahic evidence of just how seriously recycling's beingviewed in Birmingham. Or not.




Ever wonder why we go to the trouble of recycling or trying to be 'green'?

Why bother if Britain's only responsible for two per cent of the world's carbon emissions?

It seems evenBirmingham City Council is getting slack about it.

Faced with an apparent abundance of enthusiasm for turning old bottles and newspapers into something useful the council can't even be bothered to empty its recycling bins.

These photos, sent to me by 'Gary' of Streetly, were taken on Tuesday at the Tesco store in New Oscott.

Gary said the rubbish piling up appears to have been accumulating for weeks.

"No wonder the world is in a mess", he said, "if that was anyone else making such amess we would get a fine".

And you know, he's probably right.

If the local authority can't do its bit after we've done ours then why don't we just save ourselves the bother and leave it all out in black bags for the bin men?

Even national politicians don't lead from the front. Last Friday David Miliband, the Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs was in West Bromwich to open Europe's largest rice mill.

The £6million project means the company, East End Foods, don't have to ship rice and spices to Holland to be processed any more saving allthat carbon being emitted by long haul lorries.

A mate of minelistened asMr Miliband gave his inspirational speech about how we should use more energy saving lightbulbs, take fewer flights and drive less. The minister then said he had to leave for Milton Keynes for another appointment.

Then my mate watched as an eager young hack from a weekly paper asked Miliband the crucial question: "How are you getting to Milton Keynes?"

"I'm driving," replied a harassed Environment Secretary before spluttering about how the government already offsets all its carbon emissions and how there was no other way to get there in time. Anyway, he had taken the train up here.

With that he was gone, leaving thejournalist and witnessespuzzling as to how his car, a nice big Volvo, had gotten there in the first place if he hadn't driven up.

Mr Miliband was right when he said Britain can set an example. Unfortunately as China and India emerge as economic superpowers and big polluters his and Birmingham City Council's example isonly this: When it comes to global warming, we're just full of hot air