We Need to Deal with Kitchen Waste, say Lib Dems

4.50.29pm GMT Wed 1st Nov 2006

Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats are calling on the County Council to press ahead with providing an in-vessel composting plant to treat kitchen waste. In a motion to the Council meeting next Tuesday (7th November), Cllr Zoé Patrick, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Oxfordshire County Council, points out that much of the household waste collected by District Councils is food-related. Although normal composting by households is fine for green waste, waste from meat and fish needs special treatment. This can be dealt with in an enclosed container, and the process called "in-vessel composting". Zoé's motion urges the County Council to ask for tenders to provide this technology as soon as practicable.

Zoé said, "We all know that we must reduce waste going to landfill urgently, and Lib Dems are in favour of encouraging as much recycling as possible. However, even if we compost at home, residual food waste needs special treatment. And people worry about leaving rotting food in their bins. We are urging the County to provide a solution so that food waste can be collected weekly for composting, rather than going to landfill."