Archived press release

Date Published: 15/12/06

Eco-conscious Buckingham residents have helped a pioneering scheme to compost their garden waste and cardboard become an instant success in the town. Around 89 per cent of householders in Buckingham currently eligible for AVDC’s green waste...

Eco-conscious Buckingham residents have helped a pioneering scheme to compost their garden waste and cardboard become an instant success in the town.

Around 89 per cent of householders in Buckingham currently eligible for AVDC’s green waste scheme are using it.

From the beginning of October until the end of November, dedicated residents recycled 70 tonnes of garden waste and cardboard.

The scheme began in Buckingham on 4 October and is currently available to 1,400 households in the Badgers and Linden Village estates. People living in Winslow started on the scheme in April.

So far in Winslow more than 260 tonnes of biodegradable waste has been recycled by residents taking part in the trial. And more than 80 per cent of the 1,300 households in the trial area are using their new brown bin. The council is collecting around 20 tonnes of compostable material in the brown bins each fortnight, which is a big drop in the amount of rubbish going into landfill.

Under the new scheme, residents have been provided with an additional 240 litre wheeled bin in which they are able to deposit their garden waste such as grass cuttings, leaves, twigs, hedge trimmings and weeds. As well as garden waste, cardboard including cereal boxes, pizza boxes and toilet roll tubes, and coloured paper can also be placed in the brown bin.

AVDC collects garden waste and cardboard one week and picks up general household rubbish for landfill disposal the following week. The contents of the brown bins are taken to a local farm, shredded and then composted for reuse as a soil conditioner.

This reduces the amount of biodegradable waste that would otherwise go into landfill sites. As green waste rots in landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas, which contributes significantly to global warming.

The aim of these trials is to test out new collection systems with the aim of eventually providing a collection of kitchen waste, green garden waste, card and paper to all residents in the district. While the trials take place, the council is measuring how much waste is collected for composting and how it affects residents and their household refuse collections.

Most councils are now collecting green waste for composting because the government has introduced strict targets to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. Fines are issued to councils who don’t meet the targets.

AVDC has committed itself to recycling 30 per cent of its waste by 2008. Currently about 18 per cent of all waste in the district is recycled.

Councillor Michael Edmonds, Cabinet Member for Housing, Environment and Health, said: “It’s wonderful to see that so many residents are making use of this service in the trial areas. By increasing the amount of materials that we recycle we can save the district money by sending less rubbish to landfill and also protect our environment. We wish to thank the public for their support for the scheme and would encourage anyone not yet participating to consider doing so in light of the positive backing from the community.”

Further information about the green waste recycling trial is available on the council’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk under Your home, then household refuse and recycling. You can also call 01296 585882 or email spenn@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk