Lib Dems Welcome Food Waste Collection Trial

4.04.28pm GMT Mon 15th Jan 2007

Both main political parties in Guildford were united in welcoming the Borough Council's decision to go ahead with a year's trial scheme to collect kitchen food waste from the kerbside for composting, expected to start in May.

Up to 5,000 Guildford homes will be included in the scheme, which involves trials in Guildford, Mole Valley and Elmbridge, with Surrey County Council responsible for the daily transport of the food waste to composting facilities in Dorset. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will provide match-funding, so the year's trial will cost Guildford £38,500.

Speaking at the borough's Environment Scrutiny Committee last week, Lib Dem Spokesperson Cllr Liz Hogger said "Collecting kitchen food waste has to be the next big step in recycling for Guildford, since it makes up more than a quarter of the waste put in the average black bag going to landfill. This trial will give the council the information we need to make this a borough-wide service, and get this organic waste out of landfill. It's ironic that only last month the Conservatives rejected a Lib Dem proposal to fund a food waste collection trial during 2007/8, but I'm pleased this scheme has now overturned that rejection."

All parties on the Scrutiny Committee then agreed to a Lib Dem proposal that Surrey County Council should be urged to accelerate the provision of in-vessel composting facilities for food waste within Surrey. Cllr Hogger said "We've been telling the County Council for years that they should provide closed-vessel composting facilities to deal with organic waste. It is ridiculous, not to mention bad for the environment, that this waste has to be trucked to Dorset for composting."

The political parties were less united about the future of food waste collection in Guildford. The Liberal Democrats proposed that Guildford should have urgent discussions with the other councils to make sure the trial was at least continued after the initial year, and preferably expanded borough-wide, with provision made in the Council's financial plan for future years. This was rejected by the Conservative members of the Scrutiny Committee. Cllr Hogger pressed the issue at the meeting of the Conservative Executive, when it agreed to the trial last Thursday. The Executive agreed that '… if appropriate, an uncosted marker be included in the three year service and financial plan for 2008/09 to 2010/11 in relation to the collection of kitchen waste.'

Cllr Hogger, commenting on the Executive decision, said "The trial food waste collection is clearly good news, but I am disappointed at the timid provision for continuation of the trial in the future 'if appropriate'. The Council should be making a more whole-hearted commitment to continuing this trial, and indeed to expanding it to serve everyone across the borough."