Essex urged to compost

Residents of an Essex council were urged to do their part to stop waste from going to a landfill during a week promoting composting.

A series of composting roadshows were held in Maldon and Burnham during National Compost week, which ran from May 4th to May 10th.

Councillor Penny Channer, chairman of the community services committee, said: “Home composting is a great way of helping the environment and seeing the benefits in your own garden.

“The council is pleased to support national campaigns such as this as together we can all help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.”

With councils being expected to pay for any waste sent to rubbish dumps over and above their landfill allowance, composting schemes and waste to fuel projects are being viewed as ways of reducing the amount of biological waste at landfill.

Councils currently have to pay £2.50 per tonne for inactive waste such as rocks and soil – the lower of two waste disposal costs. Other waste will be charged £32 per tonne in 2008/09, with the figure increasing by £8 per tonne from April 2009.