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Gloucestershire
only has 11 years of landfill space left. Devon and Cornwall
have run out already and are transporting waste to other counties.
The average Gloucestershire household produces 100 black bags
of waste each year – around 1 tonne, the weight of a family
car
A massive 43% of this household rubbish is organic material
which could be composted
Gloucestershire-wide, this adds up to more than 100,000 tonnes
of organic waste going to landfill that could be composted locally
and reused as a natural resource in our gardens
In May last year the Government announced itÂ’s proposals
for the reduction of household waste, including a target for
half of all homes to be composting by 2006 |
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Currently
the county produces more than 260,000 tonnes of household rubbish
every year and with household waste levels rising by 3% per annum,
quantities are set to double in just over 20 years.
In
the next decade, as our landfill sites approach capacity, the county
will be faced with having to expand by creating new sites, or polluting
the environment through waste incineration.
However,
according to the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, a cheap and easy
solution to the problem could be closer than we think - home composting.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
composting
The
Wildlife Trust is urging individuals and communities to start taking
composting seriously as a means of cutting down the amount of waste
that has to dealt with in conventional ways.
The
Wildfire Trust says composting is a realistic way of disposing of
almost 50% of what would otherwise go into landfill and if everyone
composted, it would result in a massive reduction in waste levels.
Let's
face it, it's down to us to make the effort to reduce the amount
of waste we generate and composting could be a simple and painless
way to do just that.
So
how does home composting work?
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
composting is environmentally friendly and easier than you think.
According
to the Wildlife Trust, you can compost the following waste items
that would otherwise be heading for the landfills:
- kitchen
waste such as peelings, teabags, egg shells and so on
- paper
products like old tissues, used kitchen towel, egg boxes, scrunched
card, documents - these all need to be shredded first to help
decomposition
- bedding
from vegetarian pets like rabbits and hamsters
- pure
wool jumpers and cotton rags
- wood-ash
Dog
and cat poo, coal ash, metal, glass, plastic, nappies, meat or fish
and cooked food shouldn't be composted.
How
to compost
If
you have a garden there are a number of ways you can compost your
waste.
-
Pile it all in a big heap and cover with something waterproof
- nature will do the rest!
- Buy
a compost bin for around £15
- If
you're feeling handy, build your own box to store the waste for
the compost.
What
about people who don't have a garden to get involved with the composting?
Well, don't worry because there are options available to you...
- If
somebody drinks tea, you can add the tea leaves from the bags
to the plants in you house. Apparently this provides excellent
nutrients and encourages growth.
- Invest
in a wormery because these little creatures can break down waste
in record time!
More
information
One
of these days we're all going to have to take responsibility to
safeguard our environment - maybe home composting is the first step.
It could be a project you start with your kids!
For
a copy of the composting fact file call the Wildlife Trust on 01452
383333 or visit their .
The
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external websites
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According
to the Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire is facing a major waste disposal
crisis in less than a decade. 
