It is fair that a condition for granting planning should be imposed stating clearly the action that will take place if smells become pesky. Effective conversion to compost depends on the piles being turned regularly. Thus, the use of covered bins ( to control odour emission) is, frankly a non-starter. However it is vital that the design of these piles should be manageable. More, lower piles on concrete bases is preferable to fewer, higher ones. The diggers that are used to overturn the piles should be able to do so from the sides of the piles, they should not have to surmount the pile: Look out for a good drainage scheme. The site will produce a considerable volume of liquid run-ff that will be rich in available nitrogen. Improperly handled that liquid will contaminate local streams and rivers and may lead to eutrophi- cation; to blooms of algae and the subsequent death of species through depletion of dissolved oxygen. Producing a lot of aqueous waste demands the possession of a Waste Management Licence. Thus, the in- frastructure on site including site drainage and site security will be


RATS


Residents near a proposed scheme at Normanton rallied effectively under the banner “RATS”. The Normanton scheme has been deferred.


Paul Dainton, chairman of Residents Against Toxic Scheme (Rats), said: “They wanted to pass it and try and im- pose odour control afterwards but we wanted to know what odour control there was in place now, and so did the councillors.


The odour control system they have


had in place for the last five years has not worked and residents have had to put up with a foul stench.”


controlled through the licence conditions. It is worth checking to


see whether the “exemption” limit is likely to be exceeded in practice.


A rectilinear array of concrete pads with four metre high pyres of degrading waste is not a pretty sight. Composting facilities should use natural landscaping to blend with their environs and probably need sensitive plantings of screening trees. Beware the instant solution : solid steel fences. They are a blot today and may remain a blot forever.


It is a good sign that an composting facility has a dedicated “education unit” , probably a wooden shed, a reception area where schools groups may assemble, receive instruction and don protective headgear before being taken on a site visit. Double indemnity here: well-run sites are proud to show what they achieve and recycling is unsustainable if we do not convince our children of its merits.


Access matters. Most composting sites open to receive material 6 days a week, every week. Deliveries arrive frequently in heavy lorries and it is vital that there is facile access that does not involve routes along narrow, rural lanes or crossing busy intersections. Lanes that feed the site itself are suitable candidates for improvement at the time of construction of the site using ‘106’ planning agreements.


What are the facilities on site for vehicles - not only delivery lorries but also for the cars of the workers who operate the site? The site is unlikely to be accessible on foot or by public transport so a car park large enough to hold a dozen cars is a necessity.


It is good to see trade associations, such as The Composting Association laying down excellent guidelines for good practice in the industry. The Composting


13


Association is a not for profit membership organisation, promoting the sustainable management of biodegradable resources. It promotes the use of biological treatment techniques It advocates a regulatory and economic framework, thus the Association works to ensure the long-term sustainability of the biological treatment industry. If a composting facility is to open near you, its operators should possess membership of one of these groups dedicated to improving standards. It is well worthwhile visiting the Compost Assocation’s website:


www.compost.org.uk


Large-scale composting has no natural home. It is not industrial, fits badly into an industrial zone, its smell is inimical people living up-wind and it is an eyesore in the countryside where it despoils quietude. All we can do is to monitor and mitigate.


Experience abroad , particularly in the


USA where statutory controls are more relaxed, suggest that many composting facilities become bad neighbours through their insensitive locations, weak management or greed that encourages poor sifting and a “we compost all” attitude. The best time to control a composting facility is before birth. Later, its defence is easily organised around the good that it is doing: the landfill sites that remain empty, the compost that enriches and improves local soil, and the recycling targets that would fail to be achieved were it to be closed or harried.


There’s compelling evidence that small, human-scale is best. If we want to avoid the smelly blight of a crop of industrial composters with their associated high “compost-miles” then we should emulate a suggestion from Wandsworth Council :


“Help to spread compost all over Wandsworth!”


and its bright idea :


Master Composters, people willing to train others in the black art of composting, and, perhaps take in and recycle suitable waste from those homes without gardens.


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