Archived press release

Date Published: 16/02/07

Recommendations about the future of AVDC’s brown bin scheme have been made by the council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee. A meeting of the committee on 13 February, which was held at the Winslow Centre, examined the strengths of the...

Recommendations about the future of AVDC’s brown bin scheme have been made by the council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee.

A meeting of the committee on 13 February, which was held at the Winslow Centre, examined the strengths of the brown bin trial (where garden waste and card is composted) in Winslow, together with those areas where improvements can be made.

The debate covered a wide range of issues, including the size of the bins, the frequency of the collections and what materials can be recycled. The committee concluded that some alterations to the scheme will need to be considered before the brown bins are rolled out to other parts of the district.

Recommendations put forward for the council’s cabinet to consider at a future meeting include:
• Examine the provision of extra bin sizes
• Look into the possibility of providing an alternative to wheeled bins for older people
• Explore the possibility of helping large families by providing bigger or extra bins
• Look into ways of minimising any potential odour or vermin problems

Members also recommended that the cabinet should try to get extra funding from the government towards meeting recycling targets, look into ways of helping businesses recycle and aim to educate more people about the home composting scheme.

A number of invited residents attended the meeting to have their say on the scheme and the issues they felt need to be addressed in the future. The council had written to the households in the Winslow trial area inviting them to the open meeting and received 185 written responses to the invitation.

AVDC has been running the brown bin trials in parts of Winslow since April last year and since October in the Badgers and Linden Village estates in Buckingham. As these trials have been taking place, the council has been monitoring what has been collected and noted comments from residents about how the scheme is working for them.

Despite some initial concerns, the brown bins have proved popular. Around 20 tonnes of compostable materials are being collected every fortnight in Winslow and about 85 per cent of households are using the brown bins.

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 farm in Maids Moreton, 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 target of providing a collection of kitchen waste, garden waste, card and paper across the district in 2008 and 2009. Although the composting site in Maids Moreton is suitable for the trial, a different type of facility capable of taking kitchen waste would need to be provided if the council were to extend the brown bin scheme.

Buckinghamshire County Council is aiming to provide a composting facility within Aylesbury Vale which would be capable of taking kitchen waste, garden waste, card and paper from the majority of households in the district. AVDC and the county council are currently looking at tenders for the scheme, with a view to opening the site in 2008.

AVDC has committed itself to recycling 30 per cent of its waste by 2008. Nearly 19 per cent of all waste in the district is recycled currently.

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.

Councillor Chris Richards, Chairman of the Environment Scrutiny Committee, said: “The scrutiny meeting provided valuable information on the parts of the brown bin scheme which work well, and those areas where improvements can be made. It generated useful lessons for the future, and I was delighted that the local community took part in such a constructive and helpful way.

“It is essential that we get the details right of this important change to our collection system. Extending the scheme to other parts of the district is vital to increasing recycling rates and to protecting our environment for future generations.”

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