News from the gardening world
Government to consult householders on the future of green waste collections in England, writes Ian Hodgson
Green waste collections from homeowners could be free if a new government proposal is implemented. The proposal would see axing of the minimum charges levied by many local authorities, which were widely introduced in the wake of cuts to their funding. Currently, 65 per cent of local authorities choose to charge for this service, levying between £24 and £96 per annum per household.
The hope is that such a move would significantly reduce the placement of green material in general waste sent to landfill by upwards of 25 per cent and perhaps also impact the incidence of fly-tipping. A positive response to an initial consultation by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in 2019 to make household recycling in England more consistent resulted in the Environment Bill that required all waste collection authorities to arrange for the separate collection of garden waste for recycling or composting.
DEFRA is now carrying out a second consultation to seek further views on the costs and carbon benefits of this proposal. If implemented it would result in a limited free collection service, which it’s suggested might mean a minimum fortnightly collection service of equivalent to a maximum capacity of a 240-litre bin, with Government covering the net cost of the additional statutory duty. Local authorities would still retain provision to charge beyond this for an increased collection frequency or capacity. When compared to charging for garden waste collection figures in the proposal, it’s estimated a free collection would deliver an average carbon saving of 793 kilotonnes of CO2 per annum. “Gardeners want to do the right thing by recycling or composting, but all too often they are hindered by limited or inconsistent services,” said Environment Minister Rebecca Pow. “If dumped into a rubbish bin and sent to landfill it creates harmful greenhouse gases, damaging our natural environment. Providing a free garden collection service for all homes in England could create carbon savings that would be the equivalent of taking 176,000 cars off the roads each year. Garden waste can be a valuable resource – by turning it into compost or digestate, we’re not only boosting our overall recycling rates, but putting precious nutrients back into our soil.”
To take part in the survey, visit https://www.gov.uk/ government/consultations/ consistency-in-household-andbusiness-recycling-in-england