Plastic bags are one of the great scourges of modern times. Our council is to be greatly commended for the installation.

It must be said that the plastic bag problem here is not within a bull’s roar of that in other parts of the world. In 2000, we visited Istanbul. I have rarely been more shocked than when we stepped off the plane.

There was a moving cloud of plastic. Across the airport, up against any fence or wall that impeded the waves of the things. And it was everywhere. In the streets and across the countryside. Awful.

But because the scale of our plastic problem is not like that of other places is no reason for complacency. One had only to watch the recent program on the ABC on the problem of waste to realise how serious it really is. Our waterways and oceans are full of the stuff. And it is getting worse.

The recent decisions by Woolies and Coles to phase out single-use plastic bags is to be applauded. It should have happened years ago, but better late than never.

We took our first box of plastic bags to the Dungog tip the other day. I was surprised to learn that local householders are not availing themselves of the facility to any great extent.

Business houses, yes, but not residents. Why in the world not?

Hey people, it’s easy. Hang a plastic bag on your kitchen door handle. And every one of those death traps for a fish or a turtle you unload onto your kitchen table, you ball it up and into the bag on the door it goes. When you get a few bags full of bags, up to the dump with ’em. 

The waste facility has become an impressive industrial site these days. And it costs nothing to dispose of those dreaded plastic bags there. Get rid of those bags.

I agree with Tom Boorer that parallel parking in Dowling Street, Dungog should be replaced with nose-in angle parking to create more space. This is preferable to reverse angle parking, which, from my observations in many other country towns, causes traffic to bank up behind cars parking and many rear-end bumps.

In addition, I would like to see the public toilets in town spruced up – especially the ones in Frank Robinson Park, which have no hooks for bags in the ladies and are black with mould on the outside.

There are no hand-drying facilities in any of our toilets, except those next to the council chambers, with paper towels often running out by 10am.

If we wish to encourage tourism, excellent toilets are essential and the cost of upgrading them is miniscule.

Angle parking would be more efficient and open the street up for more car spaces.

I hate having to go to Dungog, because I know I won’t be able to get a park. So anything is better than the current arrangement.

I noted the article on NBN whereby some businesses, including council and IGA, are stuck with ADSL.

Lucky them. Here in town on Fosterton Road we have neither NBN nor ADSL. 

I have a node on the corner of my property, however will be stuck with an inferior and expensive Wi-Fi service for the next three years. 

I have had no luck with phone calls and questions to NBN.

And speaking of the IGA and their no plastic bag push for one month – is there a point? 

We have carried our own bags for shopping for years. 

If you are serious, IGA, then show it by banning the plastic permanently.