Although some may argue Brighton and Hove's streets are strewn with litter because there are too few rubbish bins, I would contend the issue is not the number of bins but the type.

While some litter originates from mindless individuals dropping it on the ground, I am convinced most comes from domestic bin bags put out on the streets.

It does not take rocket science to work out that a combination of thousands of properties in the city without rubbish storage facilities, thousands of hungry seagulls and bins too small to accommodate domestic rubbish bags results in the mess we see when we walk along the city's pavements.

A visit to most European cities will highlight that their way of dealing with the litter problem is to position large wheelie bins and recycling facilities at appropriate points in the street where residents can deposit their waste on a regular basis, rather than leaving it out on the pavement for a week, where animals can tear it apart.

Instead of Brighton and Hove City Council spending taxpayers' money on clever litter-picking machines and employing armies of street cleaners, can it not instead invest in providing adequate on-street recycling and disposal points as in other European cities?

While I strongly support kerbside collection schemes for recyclables, this does not negate the need for proper bins that will accommodate refuse bags for non-recyclable items.

-Jonas Grist, Ditchling Road, Brighton