Thanks to the efforts of Calder Valley MP Christine McCafferty, Sita UK which won the contract to collect Calderdale's refuse, and community enterprise Kerbside, were brought to the same table in an attempt to sort out their differences.

Kerbside, who under the previous contract holder collected recyclable material from Halifax to Todmorden, have been frozen out since Sita began operating at the beginning of August.

Since then what has happened could easily have come from the pen of a comedy scriptwriter.

Two companies, one a cash-rich multi-national, the other a humble community- funded project bickering over who has the right to specific items of rubbish.

You really could not have made it up.

Only one winner there, people might have imagined. But in this David and Goliath contest, Sita UK failed to take one important thing into account. The weight of public support was firmly behind the underdog. The small local company.

"Kerbside has huge public support in the areas where they presently recycle and most people would like to see them continue," said the MP.

With this knowledge Kerbside has pledged to continue its collections while it has enough money to fund its operation.

But the situation cannot continue. A compromise must be found.

This is the last chance saloon, according to Mrs McCafferty, who like the rest of us hopes that further negotiations next week will lead to the issue being resolved.

It may mean that both sides will have to compromise before a deal is struck.

That would be the most desirable outcome.

Though not necessarily what will happen.