I had six “Woolies” bags of rubbish and 10 chaff bags of recycling and a large box of newspaper recycling.

I was informed by the tip employee that recycling could not be handled as the designated green bins were full.

I was told to put it in the pit.

I understand ‘everyone’ wants the Wallendbeen tip closed and the sooner the pit is filled the better but I feel this is not good enough.

Why do we recycle? Just to make money - or to greater reduce the amount of waste material that has to be found a permanent home, ie the pit at Wallendbeen or one elsewhere.

I also am told metal recycling is no longer accepted by the local garbage services as it is not worth enough money for them to take it.

Is this the reason we recycle now?

I thought I heard that metal prices are again on the increase.

Can’t we even take and store metal for a short while?

Do town dwellers who have a kerbside collection realise that this is the state of play in Cootamundra?

Only profitable items will be recycled ie. only some plastics, hopefully most paper and no metal.

The Australian federal government’s Healthy Welfare Card, trialled in Kununurra and Ceduna, transmits 80 percent of welfare payments by means of a cashless debit card, not spendable on alcohol or gambling.

In both centres ambulance call-outs to alcohol-related violence and spending on gambling have significantly fallen.

The mayor of Ceduna says communities troubled by results of alcohol and gambling excesses “would be silly not to trial the card”.

I believe my community certainly needs to do it. Yours, dear reader, probably does, too.

It might be a good move to all tell our federal MP to please set up a trial locally, and soon.

As you may be aware, the Wagga Rotary Club’s book fair was threatened by a vandal-lit fire which destroyed or damaged our seed stock and gear, shortly after the last fair.

So you will be pleased to hear that we are “rising from the ashes” and have found temporary premises.

Our next fair is set down for May 6 and 7, 2017. We need to attract donations of material to re-build our stock for the Fair.

NSW Farmers is acknowledging the significant contribution women are making to the agricultural sector in New South Wales ahead of International Day of Rural Women today.

It’s a timely reminder to recognise the contribution rural women are making to enhance agriculture and rural development.

Tens of thousands of women are championing the future of farming right across rural and regional NSW.

There are also countless women providing administrative support integral to the success of family farming businesses; and women generating off-farm incomes to help support their families.

In New South Wales, 27 per cent of those employed in the agricultural sector are women and 13 per cent are employed full time, while around 61 per cent or 12,500 are employed on a part time basis. There’s no denying that these are statistics that could be greatly improved and I don’t doubt they will be.