YOUR photo and report on the last resting place for dead fridges (BFP, January 25) was a graphic illustration of the so called benefits of our membership of the EU and another example of the total ineptitude of Tony Blair's administration.

Regulations made in Brussels, at an annual rate of over 3,000, automatically become law here without scrutiny of Parliament. Although the regulation calling for the removal of CFC gas from scrap refrigerators was published in 1988 our government failed to recognise the significance of the clause requiring its removal, not only from the operating system, but also from the insulating foam.

The consequence is that no machinery exists in this country to do this and until it is installed the dead fridge mountains will continue to grow at considerable cost.

In April further strict regulations from Brussels on the disposal of scrap cars become law. They will require vehicle dismantlers to spend some £250,000 per site on equipment to deal with the newly identified areas of hazardous waste. This too has been ignored by our government which has provided no lead or funding and the result will be fewer breakers' yards and higher charges to the motorists willing to officially scrap their vehicles. Inevitably more cars will be abandoned in the Bucks greenery, probably beside rusting fridges.

We have however one unwanted product which is always recycled efficiently. The empty milk bottle, left on the doorstep overnight, is replaced by a full one in the morning. Fresh local milk in an endlessly recycled container, surely ideal for both the consumer and the environment. Not according to the European Commission. The reuse of glass bottles is now to become illegal. They must be replaced by single use plastic containers which will immediately add to the layer of plastic waste.

I Harvey

Polidoris Lane

Holmer Green

February 14, 2002 13:38