Leicestershire CC Waste Consultation

Leicestershire CC are running a consultation about waste, which appears to be primarily focused on residents, not groups, see Leicestershire's Resources and Waste Strategy 2022-2050 | Leicestershire County Council.  The consultation closes on the 25^th April and it would be good if county residents at least would respond.

This consultation needs to be seen as part of the wider picture, for instance:

·         Peat.  One of the excuses for continued peat use is the lack of volume of the alternatives.  With District Councils in the county charging up to £55/year for green waste collection we have a disincentive for people to treat their green waste responsibly and a great incentive to add it to the black (general waste) bin.  What we really need is for councils to stop charging for green waste and proactively seek it out to turn it into compost as a peat replacement and exploit the commercial opportunity, if people don't have a home compost heap.  This aspect gets little attention in the consultation.

·         Air pollution. Landfill sites emit methane as materials rot down.  Methane is a greenhouse gas over 20 times as harmful as CO2, so allowing landfill sites to emit it is increasing climate change. With the current issues with fossil fuel prices we need to be capturing methane and using it, a win-win commercially and environmentally.  At its worst, methane leakage can affect nearby buildings, Huncote Leisure centre being a local example of how to get it wrong, see Huncote Leisure Centre to stay shut for longer over methane risk - BBC News

·         Zero emission waste trucks. While we all want to see less HGVs on our roads, we are going to be stuck with refuse trucks for the foreseeable future.  A commitment to explore more environmentally friendly refuse collection trucks would be welcome, as is already happening in Aberdeen, see Aberdeen City Council adds UK's first hydrogen fuel cell waste truck to the fleet | Aberdeen City Council which would reduce emissions and costs, long term.

With all these things we need the council to be innovative and live up to the old phrase “where there’s muck there’s brass”, because we have plenty of muck to make brass from. 

Please respond to the consultation and encourage Leicestershire to think about where waste services fit in the bigger picture.

Shop organic in Leicester

As part of our pesticides campaign, we asked around to find out the best places to buy organic food in Leicester. This is what you suggested:

• Just Fair Trade, St Martin's Square - tea, coffee, sugar, chocolate, tinned fish, pasta, biscuits, honey, coconut milk, nuts, dried fruit, olive oil, jam, marmalade
• Nada (refill shop - take your own containers), St Martin's Square - dried goods
• Currant Affairs, Loseby Lane - a selection of organic vegan products, including grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, and teas
• Green and Pleasant, Queens Road - a wide range of vegan and vegetarian essentials: dried grains and pulses; nuts and seeds; eggs; dairy; dried fruit; tinned food; herbs and spices; cereals; bread and biscuits; baking ingredients; dairy-free alternatives; juices
• Holland and Barratt (several branches, including Horsefair Street and the Highcross) - a number of organic vegetarian and vegan products, including: dairy-free alternatives; grains and pulses; nuts and seeds; dried fruit; tea, coffee and coffee substitutes; juices
• Leicester Wholefoods Co-op, Freehold Street - fresh fruit and veg, dried goods
• Community Harvest Whetstone (community supported agriculture scheme)
• Picks Organic Farm, Barkby
• Real Refills

And some of the big supermarkets also have organic ranges. 

• Sainsbury's - of all the supermarkets in Leicester, Sainsbury's has the largest range of organic produce. Organic products available at the larger Sainsbury's stores includes: a range of meat, fish, and dairy; soy-based products; eggs; cereals and grains; bread and biscuits; fruits and vegetables; nuts and seeds; tea and coffee; flours; gluten-free products; cooking oils; milk substitutes, and so on. It should be possible to buy an entirely organic grocery shop at Sainsbury's.
• Aldi - a small selection of cheaper organic products, which include: milk, eggs, oats, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, bananas and cucumbers
• Lidl - like Aldi, Lidl has a small range of cheaper organic products: milk, eggs, bananas, apples, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumber and spinach
• Morissons - a limited selection of organic produce: chicken, milk, butter, eggs, and a few types of fruits and vegetables
• Marks and Spencer - a reasonably wide range of organic products, including: dairy; meat; eggs; grains; tea and coffee; and fruit and vegetables

If you know of places to buy organic food in Leicester that we haven't mentioned, let us know in the comments!

Revisiting Highfields Centre and Caribbean Court gardens

We re-visited the Highfields Centre and Caribbean Court gardens that we started last autumn, to pick up litter, remove some weeds (although we also left some that have flowers for the bees!) and plant some herbs and small shrubs. It was another productive afternoon and both gardens are progressing well. It was lovely to see the spring flowers from the bulbs we planted last year.