ePetition - Food waste collection and composting, council-led

Whilst there are various independently run schemes across Brighton and Hove for responsible disposal of food waste, residents have to actively seek them out, ascertain how they work and often travel with food waste inconveniently in order to participate in them.

There are lots of people across Brighton and Hove who would happily put out food waste separate to landfill and recycling, knowing they are having a more positive impact on our environment. A lot of these people, however, will not have the spare time, inclination and resources to go out of their way to find and participate in community composting schemes.

For this reason, if Brighton and Hove Council was to provide a service that made it easy for all residents to dispose of food waste responsibly, a huge amount of unecessary waste would be avoided.

As a city/area reknowned for being progressive and conscientious, it is a travesty that Brighton and Hove Council are so far behind other councils in this matter.

We suggest the following steps as a starting point:
1. The council makes contact with large scale composting set-ups, and makes plans for the practicalities of collection, composting, and use of the compost.

2. If necessary to complete step 1, the council can contact other councils who have successfully overcome this issue, for advice.
For example:

Lewes council: Matthew Busby, Waste & Recycling Customer Support, Acting Supervisor
Lewes District Council

Cambridge Council:
Jen Robertson jen.robertson@cambridge.gov.uk

3. Once initial planning stages are in place, the new service is announced to the public, with details about how to use the service, and good news about the impact this will have on the environmental impact of Brighton and Hove as a whole.

4. Compost collection bins, and compostable bags if needed, are delivered to all the residents in Brighton & Hove, with instructions about what to put in and not put in, when to put food waste out and how, etc.
Included with these instructions, should be information about where the food waste will go and how this will improve the environmental impact of Brighton and Hove, to encourage people to do it, do it right, and feel good about doing it.

5. Food waste collection and responsible disposal starts to happen across Brighton and Hove!

6. Public celebration of this improvement!

7. Find ways to monitor the food waste scheme, and create a report a year later of the impact this has had in terms of waste reduction and sustainability of Brighton and Hove. Tell residents the results of this, and encourage them to continue to use the service.

8. Continue the service!

We want to see step 5 happening by January 2016, and challenge the council to rise to this.

What we do not want to see is, lots of talk and no action. Lots of well written reasons why this cannot happen, does not help the environmental situation.

We do not want the result of this petition to be some explanatory or pacifying emails or public information.

We want the result of this petition to be practical action, and soon.

The world does not need more emails and surveys.

The world needs greater care for the environment, in all possible ways.

As an area with a reputation for being progressive, and with some Green representatives, we want to see Brighton and Hove Council rise to this challenge, and make this practical improvement to the sustainability of the area.

We want to help the council do a good job. We want to have a positive impact on the environment we inhabit, and we want it to be made easy for everyone to do so, so that a huge amount of unecessary waste can be avoided.

We wish all the councillors the very best, and look forward to hearing from you very soon about the practical action you are taking.

We look forward even more so to seeing the results of this before January 2016.

This ePetition ran from 01/06/2015 to 01/10/2015 and has now finished.

447 people signed this ePetition.