The council is telling householders that home composting is “by far the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with this particular type of waste” because no transport is required and nutrients remain in the garden.
The council believes a third of all waste that is put out by householders could be composted at home. Guildford is to make compost bins available at the subsidised price of 5 to all residents that request them – supported through funding from WRAP's home composting programme and provided by Straight Recycling.
For those residents that do not wish to – or do not have the space – to compost themselves, the council is introducing a collection scheme for about 20,000 properties, which is being funded through a grant from Defra.
Residents who register for the scheme will receive two re-usable green sacks in which to set out garden waste for fortnightly collections. The two sacks will cost just 10 and this charge will also cover the cost of the collections for one year.
Cllr Jenny Wicks, lead member for the environment at Guildford borough council, said: “We are confident that Guildford residents will respond positively to these new arrangements which will help us all protect the environment for future generations.”
Guildford recycled about 17% of its household waste in 2002/03. The council already runs a weekly kerbside recycling service for 93% of residents, using a green box for cans and glass and a purple box for paper.
The council has also started to introduce mini recycling points for flats across the Borough, and is aiming to offer this service to all suitable flats by April 2005.
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