Readers' letters: Decommissioning turbines is costly

"The problem is that the blades contain highly toxic products and cannot be put into landfill or incinerated”

Wind turbines will be difficult to decommission

Decommissioning turbines is costly

The difficulty in recycling wind turbine is an environmental problem nobody seems to have thought of.

Take France for instance. There are 300 wind turbines within a kilometre of each other, all over the north of an area called Hérault.

A 2MW wind turbine weighs 1688 tons: 1300 tons concrete, 295 tons of steel, 48 tons iron, 24 tons fibreglass (which is not recyclable) four tons copper, 0.4 tons neodymium and 0.65 tons dysprosium.

Mining for rare metals in foreign countries creates environmental and health problems and toxic lakes.

At the end of a wind farm's life of 25 or 30 years, conditions set down by the planning process require the blades and towers to be broken up and disposed of.

The problem is that the blades contain highly toxic products and cannot be put into landfill or incinerated.

Michael Baird, Bonar Bridge.

Short term lets need a closer watch

Our city centre has in the last few years seen an increase in Airbnb/short term rentals. This is having an increasing detrimental effect on local communities. In some stairs there are several flats now providing short term lets.

People no longer have neighbours, this causes difficulties when common stair repairs are required; impact on local shops and council services.

There requires a moratorium on all future short term lets until a licensing scheme overseen by local councils is in place.

Jim Mackenzie, Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh.

Do Covid breaches hide bigger truth?

The breaches of Covid rules by a succession of senior figures, most recently England’s now former health secretary Matt Hancock raises a very awkward question concerning what these individuals believed about the pandemic.

Would the very architect of the lockdown Professor Neil Ferguson, Scotland’s then chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood and now England’s health secretary have all ignored the rules if they really believed that vast numbers of lives were at risk?

Presumably the answer is: no, of course not. Which would suggest that they viewed the rules and restrictions as an excessive reaction to the risks we faced. An even more awkward question follows from this: were the last 15 months of lockdowns, masks and social distancing actually a necessary and proportionate response?

Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife.

Climate conference inviting trouble

A record 3285 new cases of coronavirus have just been recorded on one day giving a total of 19,593 in a week.

Scottish football supporters have been blamed for a rise in Covid cases after going to London. Nicola Sturgeon ignored repeated warnings preferring to court public popularity before the well-documented dangers.

Politicians must wake up to the Covid danger that 30,000 delegates coming to Cop26 in Glasgow from 190 countries will bring to Scotland.

The Scottish government must demand that Westminster cancel this dangerous gathering.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.

A clean sweep

It is all very well to safeguard cyclists, but by making a designated lane for cycles the council has prevented the cleansing department staff from maintaining the gutters and drains in good condition. From a health and safety point of view this is totally unacceptable.

CJR Fentiman, Edinburgh.