Community Composting Network

THERE ARE NEW BARGAINS ON THE MARKET PAGE

Community Composting Workshops - Come and Share your Experiences

The Open University together with the Community Composting Network, London CRN and the New Economics Foundation are conducting an important Defra funded nationwide project about community composting. If you are a community based group or organisation involved in composting household or commercial waste we want to hear about your opinions and experiences.
Come along to one of these workshops to share your experiences and highlight the issues you want us to feedback to policymakers. The workshops will focus on key success factors of your projects, the problem issues to be resolved and new ways to demonstrate the 'real benefits' of your work.
Location and dates:

• Exeter - Friday 28th September
• Sheffield - Monday 8th October
• London - Monday 15th October

The workshops are free and lunch will be provided. We appreciate your involvement and will pay your travel expenses and we can also offer a small attendance fee (if required and on request). Places are limited.
To reserve your place complete the attached booking form or email your contact details to Rachel (r.a.slater@open.ac.uk).
For further information contact Rachel on 01908 858537
Download a booking form:oubookingform.doc (389KB)
For more infomation about the project see below

LOCAL FOOD PROJECT
Details have been released of a new BIG Lottery Grant. CCN is a consortium member of Local Food. Managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and 15 consortium members, on behalf of the BIG Lottery Fund, Local Food is a £50 million programme that will distribute grants to a variety of food-related projects to help make locally grown food accessible and affordable to local communities.
Communities will benefit from improved health and well-being through exercise and better nutrition; strengthened local economies through the creation of social enterprises; and more sustainability through the better use of resources such as food redistribution and composting.
Local Food has five themes:
1. Enable communities to manage land sustainably for growing food locally
2. Enable communities to build knowledge and understanding and to celebrate the cultural diversity of food
3. Stimulate local economic activity and the development of community enterprises concerned with growing, processing and marketing local food
4. Create opportunities for learning and the development of skills through voluntary training and job creation
5. Promote awareness and understanding of the links between food and healthy lifestyles
Link to press release on BIG Lottery website

SURVEY REPORT ON COMMUNITY COMPOSTING ACTIVITY
A new report on Community Composting Activity in the UK has been published by The Open University, CCN and LCRN. This is the most comprehensive review of the community composting sector undertaken to-date. It highlights the diversity of groups and organisations involved in community composting; reports on numbers of sites and material composted; the involvement of volunteers and trainees; the type of work undertaken with local authorities and explores wider social and environmental objectives of different groups. The survey is a key part of a Defra funded project called ‘Unlocking the Potential of Community Composting.' The project is being carried out at The Open University in partnership with the Community Composting Network, London Community Recycling Network and the New Economics Foundation, and the project team would like to thank all those community composters that took part and made the survey possible. There will be a series of workshops in the Autumn which are part of this continuing project, we will publish details here, via ccnnews and by email to members.
The Report is available here and on The OU’s and Defra’s websites:
http://technology.open.ac.uk/iws/docs/cc%20report_Final.pdf
http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/project_data/DocumentLibrary/WR0211/WR0211_5372_INT.pdf
For further information contact Dr Rachel Slater (r.a.slater@open.ac.uk) or see the project brief at:
http://technology.open.ac.uk/iws/docs/community%20composting%20project%20brief.pdf

OPERATION MANAGER NEEDED AT BRADFORD COMPOST CO.
Bradford Composting Co. have added an Operation Manager to the list of jobs they need for the new venture. For more details follow the jobs link.

WHAT IS MUNICIPAL WASTE?

Defra are having a consultation on the meaning of 'municiple waste' - some local authorities are concerned by the apparent difference between the practical definition used in the Government’s guidance and the legal definition set down in the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003.

This consultation puts forward proposals to amend the definition of municipal waste to resolve the apparent tension with the Government’s interpretation. They are seeking views from interested parties in England (including the Community Waste Sector), particularly waste disposal authorities and their representative organisations. Responses should be received no later than Friday, 21 September 2007.

Information and documents may be found on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/landfill-ats/index.htm
A short document on the background to the consultation can be downloaded from: http://www.communitycompost.org/news/whatswaste.doc

JOBS AT BRADFORD COMPOST CO.
Bradford Compost Co. have a whole range new jobs including operations manager, marketing co-ordinators and the essential composting crew. For more details go to the jobs page.

SECOND CALL FOR COMMUNITY COMPOSTING DEMONSTRATION SITES
As part of a Europe wide project, CCN are inviting members to become Composting Demonstration sites. If you are interested you can download an application pack from the link below. There are currently 13 demonstrations sites and there are to be 50 sites in the UK in total.
The project 'Growing with Compost' is a partnership project lead by the Community Composting Network (UK) and involving the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, the Ecological Recycling Society (Greece), Friends of the Earth Slovak Republic, IASON vocational training centres (Greece) and Re-use and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises (RREUSE - Europe wide). The project is funded by the EU Grundtvig programme which is part of the wider Socrates adult education fund. For more information to to the Growing with Compost website at www.growingwithcompost.org
The purpose of the demonstration sites is to promote members work and provide them with materials to offer range of training and educational resources that can help adult learners from across Europe to develop their own community composting schemes. To apply please use the Demonstration Sites Application Pack (606KB)

WASTE STRATEGY for England & Wales 2007
The Waste Strategy for England was published by Defra in May 2007 and includes a number of topics of interest to CCN members:
Working with the Third Sector
Improving contracts for the Third Sector
Food waste and Anaerobic Digestion
Information and Awareness
Working with Schools
You can download a summary here containing the relevant extracts on the topics above taken from the Waste Strategy.
For the full strategy and executive summary and supporting documents see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/index.htm

THE MOST TRAVELLED COMPOST HEAP (probably) COULD BE YOURS
Compostworks are selling their old purpose-built compost heap demonstration trailer. For more details of this once in a life-time opportunity click on the market link in the submenu or on the title of this article.

CURRENT JOBS WITH CCN MEMBERS
Brighton Community Compost Center (BCCC) need an all round composter for their garden waste services.
Lochaber Environmental Group are seeking a Community Compost Development Officer
For more information click on the headline or follow the submenu to the jobs page.

NINE NEW HOME COMPOSTING WORKERS FOR GLOUCESTERSHIRE WT
In a launch to coincide with Compost Awareness Week, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust introduced their nine (!) new home composting support workers. Thier aim is to provide county wide coverage in the second stage of the 'Don't Waste Wildlife' initiative thanks to the Big Lottery CRED funding. You can download a press release (Word .doc, 85 KB) by following this LINK or clicking on the heading.
Added 22.07.05 see a pile of composters on the launch day< /p>

Food Waste Findings & Guidance
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) have recently published a range of papers on food waste in the UK. Each year we throw away an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste, about half of which could have been eaten. Most of this waste presently ends up in landfill. There are downloadable documents on the research done on household foodwaste including 5 tips on how to cut down on foodwaste. Follow the link to http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/about_us/food_waste.html

Additionally, they have published a report by Dominic Hogg of Eunomia Research, on options for treatment of foodwaste in the UK, which highlights the use of Anaerobic Digestion. This can be viewed at: http://www.wrap.org.uk/applications/publications

Enviroment Agency Reassurance

Following the launch of the Compost Quality Protocol the Environment Agency issued a statement regarding non-complience with the PAS100 standard (the accreditaion of which is currently the only means to prove your compost is not a waste. The following extract is taken from the 'Regulatory Position Statement' on the Compost Quality Protocol which is downloadable from the Environment Agency website at:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waste

"How we will treat community composting groups and compost clubs
Where community composting operations are running within the definition of a composting club we have previously said that it would not normally be in the public interest for us to prosecute for failure to obtain a permit where the finished compost is going back for use on the gardens of the members of the club. The same applies where a National Trust property or a Royal Horticultural Society garden type activity is composting its own waste on its own grounds for use on its own gardens."

CCN's Response to the EPP consultation for England & Wales
The headline links to the response by the CCN to the second consultation on the development of the Environmental Permitting Programme. Please feel free to use this document to develop your own responses.
To download the consultation document go to:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/epp
or
http://www.countryside.wales.gov.uk

Responses to the consultation should be submitted by the 6th of December 2006 to:
England:
e-mail: epp@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Post:
Nigel Atkinson
Environmental Permitting Consultation
4th Floor, Zone C2
Ashdown House,
123 Victoria Street,
London
SW1E 6DE
Wales (please cc a copy to DEFRA as well):
e-mail: EPPConsultationResponse@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Post:
Waste Policy Branch,
Welsh Assembly Government,
Environmental Permitting Consultation,
First Floor, CP2
Cardiff,
CF10 3NQ

CCN response to Planning and Pollution Control Consultation for England
DEFRA and DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government - formerly the ODPM) are consulting on options for improving the way in which in planning and pollution control regimes work together in delivering new development. To read the CCN response to the consultation click on the link in the headline. As composting sites have to go through a plannng process this will impact on us, so have your say.

To download consultation documents go to:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/consultation/index.asp

Responses should be submitted by 6th December to:
Anne Wood
Permitting and Planning Interface Consultation
Planning - Resources and Environment Policy Division
Department for Communities and Local Government
4/B1 Eland Place
London
SW1E 5DU
or
PermittingPlanningConsultation@communities.gsi.gov.uk

CCN response to Compost Quality Control Protocol Consultation for the UK
The title links to response by the CCN to the consultation on the development of a Compost Quality Protocol. The Protocol will allow quality composted waste to be called a ‘product’, rather than ‘waste’ when it leaves the composting site. Please feel free to use this document to develop your own responses. At the moment, only PAS 100 compost is included in the Protocol so you may want to use this opportunity to suggest (for example) cheaper access to PAS 100 for smaller producers? CCN members can find more information on p16 of the latest Growing Heap.

The deadline for the consultation is 4 December, it is an on-line consultation to be found at: www.compostqp.dialoguebydesign.net

New Community Re-cycling Website
The Community Waste Information Centre is a new website for anyone in or dealing with the Community Waste Sector. It is a portal website linking you to everything you need to know about the community waste sector. It includes links to information about setting up and running a community waste organisation, partnership working between community organisations, the public and private sectors, relevant networks and community waste organisations and important strategic information on waste and the third sector. CCN, FRN and London CRN were involved in the set-up of this site which was managed by CRN as part of the Regional Programme The Community Waste Information Centre website can be found at www.communitywaste.org.uk

Could your project be a Demonstration Site?
As part of a Europe wide project, CCN are inviting members to become Composting Demonstration sites. If you are interested you can download an application pack from the link below.
The project 'Growing with Compost' is a partnership project lead by the Community Composting Network (UK) and involving the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague, the Ecological Recycling Society (Greece), Friends of the Earth Slovak Republic, IASON vocational training centres (Greece) and Re-use and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises (RREUSE - Europe wide). The project is funded by the EU Grundtvig programme which is part of the wider Socrates adult education fund.
The purpose of the project is to develop a range of training and educational resources that can help adult learners from across Europe to develop their own community composting schemes that will provide social and environmental benefits for their local communities and demonstration sites are a crucial part of these resources.
Demonstration Sites Application Pack.doc (606KB)