Help make a Difference in your
Community
Over the next few years the waste teams of Dorset County
Council and East Dorset District Council are looking for waste
management solutions that are closer to home.
One key solution that can be expanded further is community
composting in partnership with local town/parish councils and
communities.
Kitchen and garden compostable material contributes to at
least one third of all household waste arisings, either from
your household or at the household recycling
centres Collecting this material and transporting it
across the county for composting, costs local authorities a
significant amount of money and impacts on our roads.
We would rather divert some of this money to assist with
local composting initiatives. Some work is already on-going,
such as the provision of subsidised compost bins, through the
Dorset Recycling Group (a partnership between county, district
and borough councils).
We are looking to expand this work and are therefore searching
for volunteers to become community champions and run a local
composting initiative.
You could be supporting your community on home composting or
running a small community composting site where garden waste can be
delivered for composting. Either way, there will be an
opportunity for training (e.g. Master Composter programme) and to
become a community expert.
Over the next few months Dorset County Council are looking to
run two or three composting initiative trails in Dorset.
We are currently producing a database of interested
people/communities with a view to setting up these early trials. We
hope to expand these schemes across Dorset over the next five
years.
It is envisaged that community champions could in the future
develop wider roles by co-ordinating other environmentally
beneficial activities e.g. litter campaigns.
If you are interested in becoming a community champion then
please read on!
Have you got what it takes to be a
Community Champion specialising in Composting?
Are you a keen gardener who actively composts? Then you
could be the person we are looking for!
We want a volunteer with knowledge of composting and
who is a good communicator to help us encourage residents in
your local area to compost.
You would be supplied with a composter (for demonstration
purposes) and would be required to show people how to start
composting, how to overcome any problems while composting, and how
to use the finished compost effectively. Basically you would
be a local point of contact regarding composting for residents
living in your area.
You would receive training, promotional literature and support
from your recycling and composting promotion officer in East
Dorset. There may even be opportunities to receive
further training from a recognised waste organisation in the
future. It will also be a good opportunity for you to meet
like-minded people across the County.
If you are interested in this voluntary position, or have any
questions relating to this role then please contact Gemma, Coles at
East Dorset District Council 01202 886201 or Marten Gregory at
Dorset County Council on 01305 225193