"Just Molly" wrote in message
...

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
In recent years, our local council (Kerrier, in west Cornwall)
has
been taking garden waste at local waste recycling sites. They
take
it
away to a central depot where it's shredded and composted. But
it's
disposed of locally, rather than being made available to the
public
(spread on a nearby farmer's fields, I believe, with whom they
have
some sort of arrangement). When I rang them to ask if they had
any
plans to bag and sell it, they replied that they would really
love
to,
but new regulations from DEFRA relating to foot-and-mouth mean
that
they would have to get it all regularly tested, which makes it
too
expensive to justify (tested for F&M presumably, although why
garden
waste should carry it is beyond me! Perhaps DEFRA are worried
about
animal contamination).

I'm amazed and disappointed. What do other councils do? Is this
testing thing just an excuse, or does it really have to be done?
And
if so, what's the logic?

My council, North Yorkshire CC, sells such compost at a number of
sites at £2.50 per 50 litre bag. This is the first season I am
trying
it, so I cannot really comment except to say that it is really
thoroughly composted with a nice friable texture. I am trying
itout
as a mulch, to be gradually hoed in as the season progresses.

I think more ppl would buy ours if it were not so expensive :0(

I think you should get yourlocal paper to point out prominently that
they are ripping you off in comparison with the other Councils
mentioned in urg. If the paper would be brave enough to suggest that
the householders should boycott the stuff until the price is
reasonable, they will come to theit senses quite quickly, since they
have already incurred the cost of setting up thr composting plant and
producing the compost. Could you find out if there is a neighbouring
council from which you could threaten to buy your compost?

Franz