Composters in Cambridgeshire have helped slow the growth of waste in the county by educating local residents about composting.
About 200 local composters volunteered for around 3,000 hours to help teach local residents about the importance of composting.
The council has reported that waste only grew by 1.8% between 2001/02 and 2003/04 compared to a national average of 3%.
As part of the scheme, run by organic organisation HDRA and Cambridgeshire council, the composters have staffed displays at garden centres and supermarkets, given talks at schools and pubs and started compost heaps at schools. They have also written articles for local newspapers and started a website.
Toyota develop plastic from potato oils
Car manufacturer Toyota has developed a biodegradable “Eco Plastic” that uses oils from sweet potatoes.
Toyota are currently using the plastic in the production of floor mats for the Toyota Raum, which is on sale in Japan, and it hopes to develop the use of the plastic further.
The company has been farming sweet potatoes in Indonesia since 2001 with a view to developing them as animal feed and for the manufacturer of bioplastics.
At present the bioplastics market is 20,000 tonnes per annum, Toyota believes this could be as much as 30 million tonnes.
Although Toyota has focused on using the material for its own automotive products the company believes bioplastics could be used in other products, such as plastic sheeting for crops and domestic refuse sacks.
Friends of the Earth calls for incineration tax
Friends of the Earth has called for a tax on the incineration of waste products in an attempt to increase recycling.
In a statement issued to coincide with this week's “Big Recycle” campaign the organisation has said that the Landfill Tax needs to be extended to cover “other disposal technologies”.
The pressure group claims that more recycling needs to be done, indicating UK's position in the “municipal waste management” table. The UK has a recycling rate of 13%, bettering only Greece and Portugal and a long way off the Netherlands with 59%.
Georgina Bloomfield, Friend's of the Earth waste campaigner, said: “Wider economic measures must also be put in place so that we can reach the standards set by our European neighbours who are already recycling over half their waste.”
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