Walton’s ‘bin’ waging war on waste

Walton residents are continuing to take advantage of an offer to get two sizes of discount compost bins at £14 and £17.

Since April it is estimated that the 2,500 bins sold so far across the county could divert around 1,000 tonnes of food and garden waste from landfill during the next three years, which is enough to fill 12 double- decker buses.

Jean Pearson, Chairman of Surrey Waste Partnership, the organisation running the sale of the cut price composters, said: "The cost of sending rubbish to landfill is rising by millions of pounds a year so we need to find alternative ways to dispose of our waste.

“Composting is one thing all of us can do to reduce the amount we throw out. It's easy to do, so I would urge people to buy one of our discount bins and have a go."

Out of a total 536,000 tonnes of household waste currently produced in Surrey each year, around a third could be composted, which would save the county an estimated £8.7 million in reduced landfill and green waste disposal costs annually.

However, research has shown that just over half of residents with a garden don't compost at home, potentially unaware of the benefits it can bring.

Good compost is made with 50% 'greens' like vegetable peelings and grass cuttings, and 50% 'browns' such as dried leaves, twigs and scrunched up paper. Other items of household waste which can be used for making compost include fruit scraps, salad leaves, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, vacuum bag contents and even vegetarian pet bedding.