DOVE

Alternatives To Incineration

A weekly kerbside collection of biodegredable kitchen and garden waste is the key element of the alternative to incineration in order to divert enough putrescible waste from landfill. Composters, as advocated by our local Councils, do not capture enough. The elderly, the infirm, occupiers of flats and people living in houses with small gardens cannot compost therefore a weekly collection by the local authority of the biodegredable matter is mandatory in order to comply with the Landfill Directive without resorting to incineration.  This service would cost the council tax payers in the region of  £25 per annum.  Somerset’s five districts will all have this in place by the end of the year as an example of best practice.

From proposed modifications to Regional Planning Guidance 9: Policy W8: Waste Separation:
Waste collection authorities and waste management companies should provide separate collections of recyclable and compostable materials as widely and as soon as practicably possible. Householders and small and medium-sized businesses should be encouraged to separate waste for collection by such schemes through information and promotional campaigns. Civic amenity sites should be organised to encourage separation of materials for re-use and recycling.

Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Fifth Report (2001) :
51. Although the sorting of waste after it has been collected may be useful in some circumstances, it is, in general, markedly less desirable than source-separation. Post-collection sorting produces lesser returns of lower quality materials. Also, by engaging householders with waste issues, kerbside collection schemes make it easier to persuade them to take other actions, such as purchasing products which are easier to recycle. The kerbside collection of source-separated waste is a necessity if we are to transform waste management. It must be ensured that the Best Value regime works to increase the proportion of households covered by kerbside collections. A prerequisite of an authority being awarded beacon council status should be that at least 50% of its households be covered by kerbside collections. We also recommend that the Local Government Association develop in consultation with other appropriate bodies a best practice guide for local authorities wishing to introduce (or improve) kerbside collections.

Windrow composting the Councils’ preferred method of composting would not be practical for dealing with the biodegredable waste collected.   In-vessel composters whilst keeping odours away, capture the methane produced in the process for utilisation, ensures a good quality compost within a very short space of time and can be accomodated on a small footprint.  They are modular so therefore can be as small or large as required and can be placed in each community’s amenity site.  This would have the added advantage of complying, before it becomes a requirement, with the forthcoming EC soil protection directive which includes the return of biowaste to land to improve soil structure and content.

For further information promoting the alternatives go to our archives and look up Zero Waste under heading, WLP.

Peter Jones, marketing director of Biffa, an English waste company states that it is possible to deal with 94% of the municipal solid waste stream by other methods than incineration and it is better to send the residual 6% to controlled landfill rather than burning it.

Help Needed

Please write to your Local Councillors requesting they put in place the above kerbside collection of biodegredable waste.  For Newhaven and the surrounding area, this would be Lewes District Council.
For list of District Councillors click here.  Lewes District is purporting to be against incineration but they can’t be if they do not put the weekly kerbside collection of kitchen waste in place as soon as possible.

The Lewes District Council Draft Sustainable Waste Management Strategy is open  to comments /objections. Please write in with your comments/objections by the closing date,10 March 2006.  Click here for assistance with letter writing.  This Draft Sustainable Waste Management Strategy can be accessed via the Dove website’s archives.

Any one with skills/knowledge that may be of use in this campaign please email us with details.  Help is gratefully received.

China is currently buying all the paper, tin, plastics it can lay its hand on.  Can’t the United Kingdom seek to put recycling markets in place in order to compete?  Can we have assistance with this project.