As part of this year’s Waste Reduction Challenge, people across the county are being invited to go green and start home composting. Gloucestershire County Council is running the Waste Reduction Challenge between 20th and 28th November and people across the county are being asked to sign up to at least one pledge to cut their household waste.
One of the pledges is to start home composting, which reduces what you throw away and produces a quality compost to help your flowers and plants flourish. Uncooked food leftovers – excluding meat and fish – can be composted, along with cardboard, tea bags, old flowers and nettles, bedding from vegetarian pets and lots more. Gloucestershire County Council is offering tips and advice to anyone who is interested in taking up the challenge.
Home composting benefits the environment, in fact composting at home for just one year can save as much carbon dioxide produced by your kettle in an entire year or your washing machine produces in three months.
Cllr Stan Waddington, cabinet member for environment and waste, said: “We all have a duty to do our bit when it comes to the rubbish we produce and that’s what the Waste Reduction Challenge is all about.
“Recycling or reusing as much as you can is a great start, but going one step further and becoming a home composter will really help us reduce what we would otherwise end up sending to landfill.
“Home composting is easier than you think and there’s plenty of support and advice available so why not give it a try it for yourself?”
Compostable waste sent to landfill produces methane, which is a harmful greenhouse gas. By composting the waste at home, in the presence of oxygen, no methane is produced. Compost produced at home benefits your garden, adding nutrients, improving soil structure, maintaining moisture levels and keeping your soil’s pH balance in check.
Compost bins are available from only £12 by visiting www.recycleforgloucestershire.com and clicking on the composting link.
For details of all ten pledges and for more information on the Waste Reduction Challenge visit www.recycleforgloucestershire.com and click on the waste reduction challenge link.
Nichola Hughes of Cheltenham with a compost bin mocked up as a washing machine and the Waste Reduction Challenge logo.
For further information contact Simon Brown on 01452 425325 or 07799 582 803.
Gloucestershire County Council has a strategy to recycle and compost at least 60% of household waste by 2020. Based on figures for the financial year 2009-2010, the County landfilled approximately 160,000 tonnes of household waste. If this figure is replicated this financial year, it will result in a landfill tax bill of £7.7 million pounds.
The county has strict landfill targets to meet up until 2020. Exceeding these steadily reducing quantities will result in fines of up to £150 per tonne for every tonne of biodegradable waste in excess of our allowance.
CONTACT
Issued by Lisa Bonnell, Gloucestershire County Council, Media Team, 01452 425226,
Lisa Bonnell
Media & PR Officer
Gloucestershire County Council
Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 2TG
Tel: 01452 425226 / 07805 540422
www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/pressoffice
