A Public ‘Community Composting’ meeting was held by Buckfastleigh Town Council on Tuesday evening to look at community-led options for dealing with Teignbridge’s plans to end free Green bin waste collection in the town from October – local residents are understandably worried about what they will do with garden waste.
The District Council are to introduce a £35/year ‘Garden Tax’ for households that want to retain their Green Bin after that date. Teignbridge will however be introducing a free food waste collection service, so not all compostable material will become an issue.
There was a fantastic turnout – over 50 people crammed into a room in Buckfastleigh Town Hall to hear from Ben Bryant, Teignbridge District Council’s Recycling Officer and composting expert Nicky Scott of Chagford’s ‘Proper Job’ to discuss plans for a community-run composting scheme here in the town.
A local scheme might well provide a cheaper alternative for households who might pay a small fee per load of garden waste as and when they need it, rather than paying TDC the new yearly charge to have a green bin, which might well be overflowing in summer and empty in winter.
Several possible locations for such a project were discussed. Cllr. Andy Stokes reminded us that “Wherever it might be sited, the effect on the surrounding area would be minimal – The site would most likely only be open for business one day a week and no food waste will be composted so it shouldn’t attract vermin or be smelly! In fact, the project could provide benefits to the community by creating opportunities for learning and socialising and reducing our carbon footprint – not to mention producing lovely compost for our gardens…”
A good-sized group of townsfolk volunteered to meet again soon to take this project to the next level.
If you are interested in finding out more or joining in, contact Cllr. Andy Stokes or Cllr. Mark Maish