The Composting Association's Annual Conference Website

BEST LOCAL AUTHORITY INITITIVE

Composting is playing an increasingly important role in Local Waste Management with more and more Local Authorities promoting composting at all levels. Home composting campaigns, communication campaigns, area-wide collections and bring schemes have all become central to Local Authority thinking. This award showcases the best approach to, and implementation of, a programme which addresses local biowaste issues locally.

2005 WINNERS

SOMERSET WASTE PARTNERSHIP

Since October 2004, the Somerset Waste Partnership has been rolling-out new SORT IT! waste services in Mendip, South Somerset and Taunton Deane. Over 90,000 households are now served and the new services will be extended throughout the three Districts by June 2006 to cover 152,000 households. SORT IT! is an integrated package of waste collections including weekly food waste and recycling collections and an optional garden waste collection service which is charged for thus promoting home composting. Since the launch of the scheme, overall recycling rates have more than trebled in SORT IT! collection areas from 14-18% to an average of over 50%.

The judges were particularly impressed by the way SWP had considered all the issues associated with introducing a separate collection of food waste over a large area and how to communicate the options to the public. This planning has enabled an integrated approach involving a range of stakeholders leading to dramatic increases in local recycling rates which the judges felt could easily be replicated across the UK.