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There was quite a commotion going on today outside our house. As it is normally so quiet you can hear an Ant's footsteps I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to see what all the fuss was about, just in case there was some kind of apocalyptic alien invasion or such like. Nope, it was just the bin men who had decided to turn up early and surprise everybody; well I guess they have to amuse themselves somehow. I read the other day that refuse collectors have been told that they are no longer allowed to tie cuddly toys to the front of their lorries (a quaint British tradition) due to some crazy interpretation of health and safety regulations.

Maybe as a protest they thought right we'll turn up early and laugh as half naked people with towels around their heads clutching bin bags and half eaten slices of toast pursue us down the street. Just to add to the chaos, today is a new collection day as it is normally on a Thursday. Will our lives ever be the same again I wonder?

Actually joking apart the whole refuse and recycling system is in disarray in our area at present because the District Council are under pressure from the County Council, who in turn are under pressure from the Government who are under pressure from the European Union to improve Britain's awful reputation when it comes to recycling.

We are now going to have an attractive collection of no less than three large wheelie bins outside the house to carefully sort and deposit all our rubbish into. Although I did notice this morning that after all our forensic sifting the guys just chucked the whole lot into the back of their lorry and drove off at high speed!

All this reminds me of just how far we are lagging behind our European neighbours when it comes to addressing environmental issues. Take the Germans for instance who are renowned for their efficiency, they are streets ahead when it comes to dealing with their waste. They have recycling centres in their underground railway system and I read that even German troops currently deployed in Afghanistan are required to sort their rubbish imagine doing that whilst dodging bullets!

It probably won*t come as a surprise then that the German car industry is leading the way when it comes to addressing the challenges that our worldwide reliance on the internal combustion engine has created with regards to climate change and pollution.

Volkswagen has risen to become the third largest car manufacturer in the world by sales and although Porsche seems to have some kind of intentions towards VW (the full story is unclear as to why) this hasn*t distracted VW. The humble Polo rolls on and is still in the current top ten best sellers list, due largely to a loyal home market. It has been overtaken by some of its rivals in recent years but the Polo's reputation of rock solid construction and enduring reliability means that you are likely to see them around for many years to come.

The Polo Blue Motion is the first model to be exempt from British road tax and although it has not won praise from all sections of the motoring press who just can*t seem to shake off their obsession with performance figures. The owners I have spoken to are really pleased with the low running costs. Small efficient diesel powered cars look set to take over especially in our towns and cities. The irony of all this however is that VW owes its very existence since the second world war to a British Army Major who saved the VW plant from demolition after it was heavily bombed. There's not much more you can add to that!