14E N V I R O N M E N T A L S P E C I A L - P U L L O U T A N D K E E P<strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong> - we’re aiming to be thebest in home compostingWe have over 52,000 homes in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong>.If we all start home composting then we will all beplaying our part in the 3 R’s – Reduce, Re-use andRecycle.We are looking to our Parish <strong>Council</strong>s to considercommunity composting in all our villages across<strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong>, which will also result in recyclingcredits for the Parish <strong>Council</strong>s.At present Denton & Geldeston are both verysuccessful. We need to build on this. There ismoney available to assist in setting up theschemes.Cllr Tony Game,Champion for Recycling in <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong>Have you heard aboutMaster Composters yet?Since November 2006,<strong>Norfolk</strong> has had its veryown network of compostingexperts in the community.This is thanks to the MasterComposter scheme, whichhas been developed byGarden Organic (www.gardenorganic.org.uk).Rachel Stewart, who livesin <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong>, is a fullyfledged Master Composter.“I befriended a fellow student,Hayley Johnson, who livesclose to me. We embarkedon a joint approach andcontacted the editors of threelocal publications to offerthem a series of six shortarticles on home composting,resulting in our being regularcontributors over the last sixmonths.“My most enjoyable MasterComposter experiencewas a day at my children’sprimary school where I madepresentations to each of thethree classes, all at differentstages of their education. Iread a story about worms tothe infants and used a wormpuppet, I used bug viewers,my own different stagesPicture: Rachel Stewartreceiving a certificate at the<strong>Norfolk</strong> Waste PartnershipAwards <strong>2008</strong>.of compost breakdown toillustrate how the processworks and cut away ‘dalek’compost bin showing whatcan go in. All this went downa treat to all, even to the ‘toocool by half’ Years 5 and 6.”“I visited a fellow MasterComposter, Liz Cargill, at thehighly successful volunteerbasedcommunity compostingscheme in Denton. Hayleyand I made a half-hourpresentation to the groupon home and communitycomposting and wereinvolved in the subsequentdiscussion. We are nowassisting them in doingsome basic market researchto assess how much localinterest there might be in sucha scheme.”For more information on thehome composting scheme,e-mail Cllr Tony Game:tgame@s-norfolk.gov.uk orcall him on 01508 518077
SayEnvironment FirstNO!to plasticbagsSay No to Plastic Bags summit pulls in the big retailersOur Say No to Plastic Bags campaign, organised by <strong>South</strong><strong>Norfolk</strong> <strong>Council</strong> Chairman, Joe Mooney, was given anotherboost in February, thanks to a successful summit meetingwith most of the major retailers.Representatives fromMorrisons (Diss), Waitrose(Wymondham), Budgens(Harleston and Poringland),Tesco (Hethersett) andSomerfield (Wymondham)attended to discuss campaignstrategy. Following theirattendance at the meeting,the Ideal group of 130 storesasked for tool kits for eachof their stores with a view tobecoming a plastic carrier bagfree company.Sainsbury sent apologies, butasked for the council’s toolkit.Representatives of smallerstores, farmers’ marketorganisers, business forums,pubs and village campaignersas well as parish and districtcouncillors also attended.There was a presentation andhard-hitting video from fourstudent representatives ofWymondham High School’sGreen Team.What you can do to help:• Make use of the alternatives(reusable hessian and jutebags - many of which arebeing sold in local storesnow)• Refuse the offer of a plasticcarrier bag, re-use old bags.See our campaign page onwww.south-norfolk.gov.ukBy workingin partnershipwith retailers andresidents, I amconvinced that<strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong> willbecome a plasticcarrier bag freezone.<strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong><strong>Council</strong> Chairman,Cllr Joe Mooney15Our Environment - Our WasteBusiness as usual at The Ram –but with an environmental twist!One of <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong>’s well known businesses,the Old Ram at Tivetshall, now has 4 x 1100litre <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong> <strong>Council</strong> trade waste binson a once-per-week emptying schedule. Andmindful of the vital part recycling has to playin protecting our environment, they have alsooffered to host a glass bank in the car park.Stop press! Our glass contractor issupplying more glass collection ‘bells’. These willreplace the large wheeled bins, currently usedto collect glass, at some mini recycling centresin <strong>South</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong> during March. This is part of areview of mini recycling centres.Nick Frost,Assistant Managerat the Old Ram,Tivetshall andCllr DavidBills, CabinetMember for theEnvironmentHow can I dispose of dressings,needles or incontinence pads?Anyone who uses dressings, needles &syringes, incontinence pads or stoma bags canget a separate, free regular collection for theseitems using a separate container. This type ofwaste must not be put in with the normal wastecollection.To arrange for free collection visit:www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/environment/755.aspor call 01508 533706I have various medicines left over – can Iput them in my grey/black bin?Partially used or unopened medicines shouldbe taken, in their containers, to your nearestpharmacist who will gladly dispose of them foryou, free of charge. Please do not put themin your normal waste collection. Another pointworth noting, always follow the directions for usegiven on your medicine. Exceeding the dosecan be harmful to you and excessive amountsgoing into the waste water system has a harmfuleffect on our environment and its wildlife.