Garden waste

The majority of Peterborough residents have a brown organic recycling bin to allow them to recycle their organic garden waste.  This section aims to explain everything you need to know about your brown organic recycling bin.
 
 

 

What to put in your brown organic recycling bin

 

Please place only the following organic garden waste loosely (no bags) in the bin: Brown bin
 
Brown bullet point grass cuttings  Brown bullet point leaves  Brown bullet point shrubs  Brown bullet point weeds  Brown bullet point bedding plants
Brown bullet point hedge trimmings   Brown bullet point dead flowers  Brown bullet point prunings  Brown bullet point twigs/branches
 
Important information:

 

  • please place items into the brown bin LOOSE
  • please do not place kitchen waste such as vegetables and fruit into the bin as we cannot, at present, safely compost this material
  • only bins weighing less than 50kgs will be collected
 
Top tip
To stop garden waste sticking to the bottom of the bin, try placing a couple of sheets of newspaper before putting material into the bin.
 
 

Why we don't accept food waste in the brown bin

 

There are strict guidelines that forbid the co-disposal and composting of kitchen and garden waste in open air.  Such legislation is called the Animal By Products Regulations, and was introduced to prevent future outbreaks of diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease.  As the Council currently composts its waste outdoors through a process known as open windrow composting, this means we cannot accept the food waste in the brown bin.  However, we are currently looking into getting a more advanced technology for composting waste and it is hoped that such technology would enable us to safely compost food waste at high temperatures and take it in the brown organic bins.

 

What happens to the material from your brown organic recycling bin

 

When you place your garden waste in your brown recycling bin out for collection the material is taken to the composting facilities at Dogsthorpe and Crowland and composted over a period of 12-16 weeks.  Here the material is shredded and formed into large rows called 'windrows' for composting.
 
Composting is a biological process in which micro-organisms convert biodegradable organic matter into carbon dioxide and water vapour, using oxygen in the air, and leave a bulk reduced, stabilised residue known as compost.  The windrows are turned regularly to ensure an even mixture, to provide aeration and to control temperature and moisture. Once the process is complete, the composted waste is bagged up and sold as a soil conditioner which can be purchased at the Householders Recycling Centre at Dogsthorpe.

 

Why using your brown bin is important

 

  • When organic waste such as garden waste is placed in landfill sites, it rots and produces methane. When methane enters the atmosphere from landfill sites across the whole of the UK, it contributes to global warming
 
  • The more we compost, the less we have to landfill. This is critical as landfill sites have a limited amount of space 
     
  • Sending waste to landfill is not only costly for the environment it is also costly to you. The cost of waste treatment could increase significantly in coming years following the introduction of new government targets for the amount of waste we send to landfill, as local authorities could incur financial penalties

 

Too much garden waste for your brown bin ?

 

If you are lucky enough to have a large garden and often have too much material for your brown organic recycling bin - why not start composting your garden waste at home? Composting is natures way of recycling and is an easy and fun way we can all do our bit at home to help reduce our waste. 

 

Visit our home composting pages for information on how to get started and how to be a successful home composter.  

 

Residents can also take excess garden waste to the Householders Recycling Centre, Welland Road, Dogsthorpe from where it is taken to a composting site. Alternatively, under the Bulky Waste scheme, we will collect excess garden waste for a charge. The centrally composted material is put on sale to the general public.
 
There has been a pesticide ban on some common garden pesticides since 2003. Click here for information on banned pesticides.
 

Why some properties have brown bins and some don't

 

At present the majority of residents in the City have received a brown bin and now receive an alternate weekly collection of refuse and recycling.  However a small section of central ward have not received a brown bin and therefore their collections have remained unchanged (i.e. weekly refuse collections and fortnightly collections for their green recycling bins). Issuing the standard 3 bin system would not have been suitable for this area, and would have caused more problems than it addressed. Likewise flats in certain circumstances also do not currently receive the same collections as the rest of the city.
 
Council officers are currently investigating a number of options for these excluded properties, which due to problems such as space, access issues, housing type and social aspects have to date been excluded from the new 3 bin scheme.  A recent application for funding to help investigate the options available was unsuccessful and the Council are now looking into other sources of funding.  Together the council will work with key members of theses communities to jointly address these problems and in order to rollout a suitable scheme.
Peterborough City Council. Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough, PE1 1QT - (01733) 747474 - DX12310 Peterborough 1