24th January 2006

At the invitation of Oxford Friends of the Earth,  Green Councillor Craig Simmons and  the Oxford City Council Executive member for Environment, Cllr Tanner, visited an innovative waste composting facility in West London on 20th January 2006.

The 'in vessel' composting system is able to safely and efficiently compost organic waste including food and garden waste to produce a fertiliser for agriculture.

Councillor Craig Simmons said: "Composting food and garden waste is a way of turning it into an asset not a liability. The County seems content to put all our refuse in a big  incinerator - now that really is a waste!"

The Greens on the City and County Council's support the construction of an in vessel composting plant to treat OXfrodshire;s biodegradeable waste. This coul dbe built with little disruption on the Sutton Courtney landfill site. The composting plant visited was both quiet and odour free.

Andrew Wood, from Oxford Friends of the Earth:

"Composting food waste using in-vessel composting is one of the ways in which we could reach high recycling rates of 75% by 2015. For the remaining 25% or more of mixed waste then there are technologies like Mechnanical Biological Treatment which don't produce the toxic pollution or climate change from incineration"

CONTACT: Andrew Wood, Oxford FoE: 01865 201 728

EDITORS NOTES (reproduced from Oxford FoE press release)

[1] In November 2004 Oxfordshire County Council started to consider what

new waste treatment it would use from 2009/10. The County Council needs

to cut the amount of biodegradable waste to 75% of that landfilled in

1995 by 2009/10. Further reductions in biodegradable waste are required

thereafter. The Council has not ruled out burning waste in a incinerator.

[2]West London Composting's can process 40,000 tonnes of organic waste

each year including food, garden and cardboard waste. It takes waste

from the London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Harrow and Brent, and

Hertfordshire County Council. In 8-10 weeks, waste is turned into a

soil conditioner or fertiliser that can be used in agriculture and

horticulture. In-vessel composting is the only method accepted by the

government as safe for composting food and catering waste. The organic

waste is initially kept in eight 150 tonne sealed vessels (barrier one)

for 7-10 days, reaching the required 60ºC minimum for two consecutive

days to meet regulations. The compost is then moved to barrier two,

another eight sealed vessels, where the process is repeated. Then it is

matured (maturation) by heaping it up in open piles called windrows,

which are turned on a weekly basis for a further 6-10 weeks prior to

finishing and its sale. More information about West London Composting

can be found at: http://www.wlcompost.co,uk