Recycling at what cost??

stebiz

Guys, I know you are all keen on a greener planet. But did you know that the pressure on councils are meaning, all kinds of junk are being deposited on green fields/farms.

Here's the typical waste

http://www.mossborough-hall.co.uk/waste-recycling/how-we-recycle.html

Here's a web cam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDq9Ai_p7TI

A petition has just gone live

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/30392

Is it just me who thinks that this is just going to get worse, as the pressure grows on councils not to landfill.

Please help.

Mrs_Arcanum

This looks more like the fault of the householders not separating out the plastic & metal & just chucking it all in the "green/garden/food" waste bins. With the problem compounded by the waste management companies.

Where there is more of an issue is commercial waste & fly tipping.

stebiz

That is true. But also the councils, are taking the green skips out the tips, and paying private contractors to 'manually' sift through the waste and then dump. Trust me, an average farmer could dump 200 tonnes of the stuff a year on their fields. I understand it has already been banned in the US.

Surely this needs to be looked at more closely, even if it is the fault of many householders.:(

Martyn1981

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

This looks more like the fault of the householders not separating out the plastic & metal & just chucking it all in the "green/garden/food" waste bins. With the problem compounded by the waste management companies.

Where there is more of an issue is commercial waste & fly tipping.

Think I've got to agree with you on that one. I was very pleased when our LA started collecting garden waste (several years ago now), but so many people dump stupid stuff in there.

Maybe, one day, we'll learn to use these things sensibly, or simply read the instructions!

Mart.

whasup

The most efficient way to recycle is chuck everything in together and build proper sorting plants. You'd get 90% of stuff being reclaimed one way or another and it would solve a lot of problems elsewhere. But don't hold your breath because councils won't do it - because they are mostly run by short sighted clowns.

Ben84

I wonder why the places producing all this green waste aren't composting it themselves on site? There may be examples where it's difficult, but most of them should have the space needed and actually have a use for the compost produced as well. Taking it away at significant environmental and financial cost, only to buy in compost (often containing peat) at further cost later doesn't seem to represent the best choice for most sites.

Martyn1981

Ben84 wrote: »

I wonder why the places producing all this green waste aren't composting it themselves on site? There may be examples where it's difficult, but most of them should have the space needed and actually have a use for the compost produced as well. Taking it away at significant environmental and financial cost, only to buy in compost (often containing peat) at further cost later doesn't seem to represent the best choice for most sites.

Fair point. I found last year that by cutting the lawn every 5 or 6 days, I could leave it all without even collecting it. Good for the lawn too (I think?). Yes I was mowing more often, but without the hassle of the grass box making it heavier, and the trips to the green bin, easily half the time and so much less effort.

Also try to keep all large branches etc. Just pile them up at the bottom of the garden, and call it a log pile. Apparently good for bugs, beetles etc.

Thinking of getting a compost bin this year, easy / any tips?

Mart.

EricMears

Derbyshire have a really stupid scheme. They send a bin lorry round alternate weeks and of course that gets emptied at a local landfill site. On the other set of weeks they collect waste from the green bins. Sounds good so far ? NOT when you know that bin lorry empties at same landfill site !!!

After five years or so of doing this, DCC have decided they ought to have a composting plant. There are several industrial estates in this area with acres of land available; one of them is right next door to landfill site and almost on a motorway junction. Apparently none of those sites is 'suitable' so they're trying to decide which of the nearby Country Parks should have a few acres shaved off it !