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Thermal Imaging
Because of the arrival of spring (or is it summer?) thermal imaging has
had to stop. However interpretation of the images of the properties
which were scanned is underway. Peter Varley, David Evans-Roberts and
Andy Deacon are at work trying to understand what the different images
show and to produce reports for the householders. The camera has been
returned to Heather Saunders at SODC and the Council has been given a
report prepared by Peter on the problems we ran into. Several other
villages have asked Heather to use the camera next winter.
Rubbish
At the Group’s annual meeting Lowelle Bryan (SODC) gave a talk on
“Rubbish”. The starting point was that a typical family in South
Oxfordshire produces nearly one tonne of rubbish every year, space for
landfill is rapidly running out and we all need to make a greater effort
to reduce waste, by reusing and recycling. In Oxfordshire, we have to
reduce the amount sent to landfill by 25% by 2009/10 and 50% by 2012/13.
SODC is letting a new rubbish and recycling contract starting in June
2009 – this is a big opportunity to improve services, increase recycling
and reduce waste going to landfill, so paying less landfill tax. The
new system will include: weekly separate food waste collection in
kerbside bins, fortnightly residual waste collection in wheeled bins,
kerbside collection of glass (at least fortnightly), kerbside collection
of dry recyclables (at least fortnightly), collection of garden waste
will remain fortnightly in wheeled bins (charged). The final decisions
about the frequency of collections, are to be agreed once the new
contractor is appointed at the end of 2008. It makes sense to collect
food waste separately from other waste and then compost it. This will
reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill by up to 5,000 tonnes a
year. SODC will give every household a container to put it in and
collect it weekly. Glass will be collected at the kerbside with the new
contract in June 2009 and the popular fortnightly garden waste
collection service will not be changed All garden waste is composted
locally, and used to improve farmland. Once everything that can be
recycled or composted has been sorted out, there will still be some
rubbish left that will have to go to landfill. Evidence from other parts
of the country is that if the council only collects this residual waste
once a fortnight then people recycle and compost more, which is what is
wanted. By collecting food waste weekly, instead of every fortnight as
some councils have done, concerns about smells and litter can be
addressed.
John Rodda
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