Memorandum submitted by Compost Works
(Waste 15)
THE ROLE
OF COMPOSTING
1. Introduction
Compost Works is a voluntary group who have
been promoting home composting in their locality for the last
five years. As such, we talk to around 2000 people every year
and have a excellent grasp of the views and composting habits
of people in our locality. (Surrey commuter belt, mixed rural
and town)
2. Home composting's position in the hierarchy
WS2007 confirms home composting as being at the top
of the hierarchy, but the public get very mixed messages when
new schemes for green or food waste collection schemes are introduced,
as outlined in the next two paragraphs.
3. Green Waste
The current emphasis on recycling targets has led
to local authorities introducing green waste collections to increase
their recycling rate, but in doing so, they have merely increased
the total amount of waste collected, since a large percentage
of the green waste collected would have been home composted previously.
Many people we talk to who were home composting and
have switched to using our local green waste collection seriously
believe they are helping the environment by using it. (Unfortunately,
due to a lack of composting facilities in Surrey, the percentage
collected that is actually composted is shipped over 35 miles
out of the county for composting, adding to the carbon footprint.)
It is essential that green waste collections are
charged for at the full economic and environmental rate, and not
softly subsidised to help recycling rates.
4. Food Waste
The collection of food waste is rightly seen
as an important step towards reducing organic matter going to
landfill. However, as food waste collections are expanded, it
is essential to consider how to avoid the trap described above
with green waste—ie To ensure that all the people who are
and have recently been introduced to home composting continue
to do so, rather than diverting their food waste to a collection
scheme.
5. Local Authority Waste Performance Indicators
We strongly support the proposal in WS2007 (Ch 6,
paras 5-18) for a LA PI based on the average amount of household
waste per person that is not re-used, recycled or composted.
Preferably the recycling targets should be dropped
-This will help to put the emphasis on reducing waste and reduce
the distortions caused by materials like green waste that have
been added to the materials collected, increasing recycling rates
but not reducing residual waste at all.
THE PROPOSALS
FOR FINANCIAL
INCENTIVES TO
INCREASE HOUSEHOLD
WASTE PREVENTION
AND RECYCLING
6. We support the concept in WS2007 (Ch
2 para 20) to allow revenue-neutral financial incentive schemes
that encourage recycling and waste prevention by households,
7. However, the proposal suggests a "recycling"
incentive. What is required is to reduce residual waste and recyclables.
Too many people believe that they are helping "the environment"
by recycling, when it would be better if they hadn't generated
the recyclable in the first place
8. The charging mechanism must charge both
residual waste and recyclables, obviously at a lower rate for
recyclables. This will then ensure that the charging regime encourages
home composting, alongside reducing residual waste and recyclables.
Anyone who is below average will get a rebate, presumably done
yearly as a council tax rebate.
Compost Works
October 2007
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