I thought the only reason the collected garden waste was that it was heavy and so was an easy way to meet the EU regs on % waste recycled, which is measured by weight.

After all using great big diesel trucks to collect individual compost heaps and centrally compost them isn’t actually green at all – it’s completely daft, the greenest thing would be for everyone to locally compost their grass clippings etc in their own garden.

Too tall..im working as an independant consulrant with various international designers of small scale converters and pyrolysis plants that’ll process low volume and use combustion gas to fuel the cycle so minumal impact…for use in nusring homes..and as ward disposal systems for health care

. Footflaps..the main thin with large scale compstinging process is that theoretically there is a saleable end product..most of it goes to farmers and local authorities for flower beds etc… the fact that there are a bloomin occupational health and safety nightmare to work in due to massive endotoxin and bioaerosol loading…oh and they smell like sarans arse….working with ivc systems is pretty grim…and ive seen some grim workplaces!

A lot if the diesels are also on recyled oil for fuel. .but yea there is a hell of a lot of greenwash that joe oublic isnt aware off

tazzy – genuine interest in the small scale pyrolysis from me. I’m doing some alt energy consulting for a large multinational and small to medium solutions are always of interest.

If you want a chat about it in a professional manner drop me an email amd I’ll give you a call next week and put you in contact with a few companies that could be of interest

After all using great big diesel trucks to collect individual compost heaps and centrally compost them isn’t actually green at all

Well.. If the council didn’t collect it most people would not compost themselves. Only keen gardeners are going to bother and most people aren’t. Plus if you compost centrally you can sell it to garden centres can’t you? Once found a plastic clothespeg in a bag of compost bought from B&Q.

Why would this be? Surely if we already have an advanced system why downgrade?

No you have a high tech sorting process but it potentially leads to lower quality material that is harder to market and produces less income while incurring processing cost. Separating the food waste means that you can put it through AD to produce energy from biomass with the associated ROC benefits on top of the energy sales. And the current system doesn’t comply with the WAG requirements (and potentially EU legislation depending on the not yet released definition of TEEP), but other than that it’s all gravy. What you’re getting isn’t a downgrade it’s just different.

drop me an email

I would if I could but I can’t. Or can I just not see it?

thestabiliser – Member
Those above insinuating changes are due to the recycling operator, you’re wrong, mode of collection is always set by the collection authority as part of the tender, they may ask you to price for an alternative but a change in waste collection policy requires assent from the elected members.
They tend to choose different methods in different areas as different housing densities etc are better served by different methods, they are also influenced by the arrangements made by the waste disposal authority (usuall the county council) who will have historicallyoperated the landfill sites but have usually let them to either profit making subsidiaries of themselves or private companies or a mixture, e.g. cumbria, CWM (former council) ru the landfills, Shanks run the recycling infrastructure

Not in particular, the majority I’ve done recently (particularly under CD process) for it to be left open with the specification stating the materials to be collected. Some will define but it’s more often politically motivated as opposed to the practical way forward as you lose the potential to test best value in the marketplace.

Sorry tootall tazwadie@hotmail.com

I’m in the US; Pittsburgh suburbs.

When they started recycling, we had 4 small bins to put paper, glass, plastic, and metal in that was picked up every 2 weeks. PITA, IMO! Leaves and yard waste are only collected about 3 times in the fall, and once or twice in the spring. No food waste collection at all. Regular trash is in whatever trash can or bag you provide yourself and collected weekly.

Then they said that we could mix the recycleables, but there was no standard container as they were picked up by hand. Then last year, we had to buy big (up to 90 gallon!) lidded plastic recycle cans with wheels which are emptied by a truck with an automatic arm every 2 weeks. Beforehand, they did a test run in one area, and recycling rates doubled! 😯 The only thing that is a PITA is corrugated cardboard. One bike box can damn near fill the whole can! 😀

Bag humbug being back bottle deposits

Landfills are great energy producers

I’m being dense – how? Methane?

Landfill sites are being actively ‘mined’ now. At least trials are being undertaken. You have to remember the ratio of stuff that was landfilled in the UK 15 years ago – still plenty of potential fuel buried down there! Metals at £150 – £800 per ton as well…

What irritates me is the inconsistent approach to plastics. Types 1 and 2 get recycled by our council, but not the others (which includes high volume items like yoghurt pots). The non recycled plastics just go in the bin and presumably to landfill, I’ve tried asking them at the skip but was told they just ended up in landfill there.

Fundamentally isn’t this a complete waste of potential energy, plus all the issues from burying plastic? If there was a local incinerator burning the stuff for power I’d take it there but the enlightened citizens of N Yorkshire would rather live next to a stinking landfill whilst protesting about planned incinerators.

Blands post is absolutely correct.

The other issue that affects recycling in this country full of greedy feckers is that no one likes to see someone else making any money out of waste. If a new technology comes to market that can exploit a waste stream that currently costs an arm and leg to dispose of then that should be a good thing.

What happens is that the waste generators see a profit being made and therefore think their waste is suddenly “worth something”. They stop supply or threaten to and demand huge sums for their newly described “feed stock”. This kills the margins and the new technological approach will grind to a halt. Waste generator goes pay to paying landfill fees and grumbles about that too…

You go to places such as Denmark and waste wood for instance is burnt for energy either locally or regionally. The producer gets a fixed price agreed a year in advance, as does the haulage firm as does the user. Everyone makes money, nobody grumbles.

You go to places such as Denmark and waste wood for instance is burnt for energy either locally or regionally. The producer gets a fixed price agreed a year in advance, as does the haulage firm as does the user. Everyone makes money, nobody grumbles.

This happens in the UK too.

Denmark have been streets ahead on waste for decades. Small efficient local incineration that generates district heating is a big plus and they hve cleaner air than the UK.

and they hve cleaner air than the UK.

They also have a much lower population density