Centralised, source separated schemes involve large transport and energy costs and frequently don't have a local market for their end product. If the government were to acknowledge that Richard is right in his assertions, it could open up a big debate on value for money. A great deal of UK and European taxpayers money is being channelled into large composting projects when some highly cost effective ways could also be available. Examples of community composting are very diverse indeed. The city farm movement has been involved in almost all the models for local composting now for over 20 years and many allotment gardeners group together informally to create highly successful results.
Nobody actually knows how many projects are out there.
The CCN doesn't know yet, but in all its forms it probably runs into many hundreds. The potential for more projects to start also exists although the barriers to starting up are many fold and notably include the initial equipment costs and uncertainty about the legal requirements. The level of know-how, hard science, experience and management required to run a successful composting project is substantial not to mention a knowledge of the law relating to waste regulation. The Community Composting Network will provide accessible, practical information, of social, legal and logistical as wells as a purely biotechnical nature. It will lobby for legal changes, help to secure funds for research and promote community composting in all its forms.