A Brighton blogger has highlighted concerns about new allotment rules which were brought in earlier this year,
The Brighton Bits blog criticised the ban on composting green kitchen waste.
Anyone breaking the rule on kitchen waste faces the immediate termination of their tenancy and prosecution.
The blogger also criticises the severity of the sanction, contrasting with the punishment for bringing other less environmentally friendly types of waste on to a plot.
For example, those bringing tyres, plastic or metal materials on to their plots face only “a notice and possible termination”.
The blogger said: “The council is very keen to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, as are council tax payers, but has not so far set up separate ‘green waste’ collections to this end.
“Yet allotment-holders are surely most likely to be those with small or non-existent gardens who are unable to compost vegetable waste at home.
“Is there really any objection to them conveying this to their allotment compost bin, where it would form only a small proportion of the total vegetable waste produced by their allotment?”
The blogger said that Brighton and Hove City Council’s new rules “seem to have been drafted with insufficient forethought”.
The blogger added: “It is difficult to see why importing half a bucket of potato peelings could theoretically result in ‘immediate tenancy termination and prosecution’ while bringing an unlimited (apparently) amount of tyres, plastic, old shelving and bath tubs will only produce ‘a notice and possible termination’.”
I’m just looking into why this is and will let readers know. I suspect there are concerns about the volume of stuff which could turn up, vermin eating food waste etc. It’s likely anyone bringing an ‘unlimited amount of waste’, as the blogger puts it, onto an allotment would certainly be prosecuted for flytipping anyway. So there may not be any double standard here.
Alan Stone, council communications team.
I find it quite typical that the council communications team has, after shoping initial interest, chosen not to communicate further. Just do as the council says mere minnions, or else!