The business of democracy and civic responsibility has brought with it a tidal wave of clutter. In Sheung Wan, as Queen's Road East intersects with Queen Street, political parties have hijacked the safety railings with huge canvas banners appealing for votes. These elections took place ages ago. On the banner is a photo of some grinning candidate, smiling no doubt at the prospect of a corner office in the new government offices in Admiralty. I think I'm going to cut these down. Will this be littering? I don't think so, as it was the politicians who stuck them there in the first place. Further along Queen's Road, the good citizens of Hollywood Terrace have placed a street blockade in front of an elevator. A petulant notice stuck on the door of the lift two years ago points out that the elevator was a gift to the community, allowing Sheung Wan people easy access from Queen's Road up to Hollywood Road. However, it adds that they couldn't get advertising or sponsorship, so it is shut down and you can take the vertiginous staircase of about a hundred stairs instead. What mean-spiritedness by the elites of Hollywood Terrace, one of the swankiest blocks in the neighbourhood. They obviously don't see themselves as part of a functioning community with old folk and people with prams. If this elevator was in service, it would alleviate the need for a new escalator in Sai Ying Pun. Instead it stands like Ozymandias' forgotten monument. It's the simple things like these that help the environment and the community. We all know that, despite our chief executive being filmed slapping his thighs and declaring that his people are not happy about pollution, Guangdong factories are going to keep pumping out clouds of murk. The good news is that, if the toxic filth continues to coat our city, we won't be able to see our political poster boys. SIMON OSBORNE, Sheung Wan Shock monitored Seven in the morning is really too early in the day for a shock to the system, but there it was in black and white: Jake van der Kamp's Monitor column actually praising the actions of the Airport Authority ('Bridge or no bridge, Zhuhai airport deal still a sound investment', August 4). Normality returned at 7.03am with Jake van der Kamp sticking the stiletto into Cathay Pacific's chief operating officer, Tony Tyler. I make no excuse for mixing metaphors by saying it was a close shave, Jake. J. CHARLESTON, Tai Hang Recycle constructively Your correspondent H. Wong is correct in stating that more recycling is needed rather than dumping ('Green tax misguided', August 3). He also writes that there should be greater charges for dumping construction waste as this takes up more space than your average household waste. However, there should be no need to dump construction waste as practically all of it can be recycled. The predominant materials used in the construction industry - including concrete, bricks, asphalt, glass, steel and wood - can all be recycled. In Britain, for instance, concrete is put through a crusher/grader and the recycled product then conforms to all international standards for further use in the construction industry. Steel can be melted down and reused, as can glass. Wood can be pulped and turned into chipboard and paper. Asphalt planings can be reused as backfill materials. The list of uses for recycled construction waste is long. The Hong Kong government should look into building recycling plants. Not only is recycling good for the environment, it will also bring down the cost of construction materials, create some jobs and ease the burden on our landfills. NEIL KEEN, Fanling Neighbourliness lost Last month, a Ho Man Tin father described by his neighbours as 'warm-hearted' and 'loving' attacked his wife and daughter with a knife before slashing his own throat and leaping to his death ('Father's suicide after slashing family', July 26). Residents of the building expressed surprise that a good father could do such a thing, but the real question is why these neighbours did not respond to the wife's desperate screams in the corridor for help. Since childhood, we have been taught not to be nosy and to mind our own business. Why? Because Chinese society is full of frauds and cheats, and people are suspicious of one another. Hongkongers were better in the past. Our grandparents tell stories of how everyone lived together and tried to help each other, even though they were poor. Society has changed fast. Without trust and credibility, it is impossible to build neighbourliness. So why does no one trust anyone? I'm sure most people could come up with an answer, but they are more likely to just keep quiet, bearing in mind their motto: 'Mind your own business!' ANDY LAU CHI-WAI, Tseung Kwan O Clean up your act, HK I am totally disappointed in the level of hygiene and cleanliness achieved by the government and people of Hong Kong. I have just been on a short trip to Taipei, which has left us far behind when it comes to both cleanliness and recycling. Hong Kong's recycling efforts are purely cosmetic. Take the example of our three-colour bins recycling system. In Harbour City, the cleaning lady comes around every day with a shabby cart and throws the rubbish from each of the three bins into the same rattan basket for dumping. I have also often seen people digging in these bins in the street for bottles and cans. They throw the covers aside and leave the bins standing open. Visit the toilet in any cafe or Chinese restaurant, and you will be confronted with wet, slippery floors and foul smells. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. In Ho Man Tin Hill, where I live, there are always dog droppings all over the pavements. It was the same in Broadcast Drive, in Kowloon, when I lived there 10 years ago. On some Sunday mornings, a rubbish truck comes around and spills a smelly brown liquid peppered with fish bones and rotten meat as it climbs the steep bend up to Ho Man Tin Hill Road, drawing flies. Every morning while I'm exercising before work, there is a humble cleaning lady industriously emptying the bins on the streets in my neighbourhood. She has my respect. Her counterpart walks through the streets with his head held high and his broom swinging smartly in time with his steps. The broom never touches the ground. Soon, he disappears, leaving the woman doing his work. As 21st-century residents of Asia's 'world city', surely we can do better? HERMAN LO, Ho Man Tin Hill War is over if you want it It is profoundly sad to see so many - and often defiantly belligerent - letters attempting to justify Israel's campaign in Lebanon. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for us all if those who would consent to killing as a means of resolving conflicts would keep their hatred to themselves instead of erroneously believing that war will solve their problems and trying to convince others, through these columns, that their perspectives are justifiable. Alternatively, let us universally condemn military action as nothing more than the choice of barbarians. Let us all demand that those in power - the politicians, corporations, religious leaders and so on - stop this deplorable insanity. The citizens of the world have the responsibility to insist that governments prevent the human race from descending into savagery, for that is exactly where we have been gradually heading since 9/11. Humans are the only animals with such sophisticated means of communication. Why don't we start using this uniquely human capacity to promote diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts so we can start living up to the standard a truly civilised world requires? John Lennon was right when he wrote: 'War is over, if you want it [over].' Write to your local representatives, the newspapers, anyone and everyone and tell them: 'Hey, President George W. Bush. Stop the war now!' Take the world back from this bellicosity. PETER DAIGNAULT, Mid-Levels
