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Search forPurley composters smash trial targets
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 11:54
jolene.hill@essnmedia.co.uk
Purley people have proved themselves a bunch of rotters - by smashing composing targets set during a recycling trial.
Figures released on Monday show how over an 11-month food trial, residents in Purley and Coulsdon West wards exceeded expectations for recycling leftover food and vegetable peelings.
The scheme, launched in May 2007, saw 2,562 households in both wards issued with small kitchen caddies to store the waste as they were preparing food.
They were also given a large outdoor bin to store the food waste and this is emptied weekly by bin men to be turned into compost at the Beddington Lane tip in Sutton.
In total, 207 tonnes of waste were collected - more than double Croydon Council's target of 100 tonnes.
Retired teacher Margaret Mackenzie, 76, of Green Lane, Purley, took part in the trial.
She said: "It's splendid, it's worked well. Food waste is being used for something and they come round and collect it every week. I have no complaints about it."
Sylvia Coxhill, 64, of Woodcote Park Avenue, was also pleased with the service but said the kitchen caddies could be bigger.
"If you prepare a lot of vegetables, you fill it up quite quickly. If it was taller rather than wider, it wouldn't take up anymore kitchen space."
Mrs Coxhill, who is secretary of South Woodcote Residents' Association, said smells were not a problem because the food is placed in a bag, which is then tied in a knot before it goes in the outside bin.
But she said, with several recycling schemes on the go, space was becoming a problem.
The grandmother-of-three and her neighbours have, on top of their food waste bins, one blue and one green recycling box as well as their normal dustbin.
"It's inconvenient but it might be worth it if we are going to save the planet," she said.
Clyde Malby of Manor Wood Road, agreed there were a lot of boxes but he decided not to join in the food waste trial.
"We haven't found it necessary. Firstly, we don't waste food and secondly, we have a waste disposal unit."
The unit in Mr Malby's kitchen sink pulverises the food and mixes it with water before sending it into the sewer.
Results released by waste chiefs, for the period to the end of March 2008, show 67.6 per cent of residents in the pilot area joined in the scheme.
This is far more than the 40 per cent take-up in similar schemes around the country.
Waste bosses found not only did more people took part, but they recycled more - 2.5kg per household compared to a typical 2kg of food waste each week.
Councillor Phil Thomas, environment cabinet member, welcomed the results.
He said: "Such a service clearly has the potential for significant impact on the borough's recycling rates, landfill targets and budgets - all of which could contribute to helping to keep down the levels of council tax our residents have to pay.
"The figures are still being analysed, but they're sufficiently heartening to allow us to be giving very real consideration to rolling out food-waste collections across the borough."
HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT: Sylvia Coxhill with her food waste caddy and recycling boxes CCRfb190808f01 by Fergus Burnett
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