Birmingham produces 500,000 tonnes of domestic waste a year. A third is compostable organic waste but only a small proportion of this waste is recycled.

To encourage a responsible attitude to waste disposal, CSV has run a community composting scheme 'Run a Muck Community Composting', since 2002.  Until recently our main focus has been on doorstep collection of green garden waste, but with this service now provided by Birmingham City Council, we are now concentrating on a range of specialist services.

These include: collecting from streets inaccessible to BCC collection vehicles; providing a comprehensive bulk waste recycling service to a few neighbourhoods; promoting recycling to groups and individuals; and running an innovative pilot to turn domestic waste cooking oil into fuel.

Advantages of community composting

Environmental
Community Composting can recycle a large proportion of material that currently goes into landfill sites, causing land subsidence and producing methane, a gas 20 times worse than carbon dioxide in global warming.

The product of composting can replace peat, a non-renewable resource. Waste is processed close to its source. Small-scale composting sites minimise pollution while producing compost more efficiently than home composting. Green waste recycling has been proved to encourage recycling of other materials.

Social
Members of the community can work together for the benefit of the community.  Physical outdoor activity is therapeutic.  This can be a focus for community development, particularly by providing training opportunities.

Economic
Marketing and transport costs are minimal.
Community composting provides local jobs and training.

For more information, please contact Julian Stanton on 0121 328 5330 or email julian@csvenvironment.org.uk

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