WHILE it is good that people in Suffolk are recycling more, it is very worrying to hear that the amount of rubbish ending up in landfill sites has increased over the last decade.

WHILE it is good that people in Suffolk are recycling more, it is very worrying to hear that the amount of rubbish ending up in landfill sites has increased over the last decade.

And despite all the soothing words from supermarkets, food processors, and manufacturers in general, it seems the amount of rubbish we are generating considers to increase dramatically.

The amount of rubbish every one of us produced over the last ten years has gone up from just over half a tonne to just under a tonne.

Everyone can do their bit to try to reduce that - but there does need to be pressure on manufacturers at the highest level to get them to reduce waste.

Why is it necessary to have so many levels of packaging on food we buy? Why are boxes containing books or CDs we order online always much larger than the items themselves?

The battle is currently concentrated on reducing the number of plastic bags from supermarkets, trying to persuade more shoppers to take reusable bags with them when they go shopping.

That is something we can all do - but if you want to buy food from a supermarket it is not possible to avoid the packaging that comes with it.

Another issue everyone can face up to is reducing the amount of items we waste - too much rubbish is made up of food we have kept too long in the fridge.

Cutting down on the waste sent to landfill is something that should concern everyone, but it is an issue that needs to be tackled at various levels - from the boardrooms of the nation's supermarkets to kitchens across the country.

AS everyone seems to be heading into town to visit the sales, Britain's consumers are getting very mixed messages about the state of the economy.

Some experts fear that we are still spending too much and are urging people to save their money and guard against the credit crunch which is bound to follow.

Others say it is vital that people continue to spend on the nation's high streets to prevent the economy from slipping into a recession which would hit families everywhere.

It does seem that this year people were spending less in the run-up to Christmas, but in the final days before December 25 they went out looking for bargains - a search which has continued now shops everywhere have launched their sales.

That is certainly proving good news for shops in the final days of the year - but it remains to be seen what the impact will be on families once the credit card bills start arriving at the end of January.

AT long last Ipswich legend Kevin Beattie is to get the medal he deserves to mark his role in the club's 1981 UEFA Cup triumph.

The Beat played in every round of the competition until the final when he was sidelined by a broken arm so it is a great shame that the role of the club's greatest ever player in its finest European moment has not been recognised until now.

But finally UEFA have relented and agreed to strike a medal for Beattie. It's been a long while coming - and everyone in Suffolk will be delighted that Kevin is finally getting the recognition he deserves.