Council pooh-poohs Liz's attempts to be eco-friendly
Graham Gibson • Published 20 May 2011 08:30
6 Comments
A TOWNHILL woman has accused Fife Council of throwing away "black gold" after being told to dump chicken droppings she considers "the best fertiliser in the world".
Liz Kane and her partner have kept four chickens at their Forest Road home for the past 10 months - all adopted from the British Hen Welfare Trust.
It's part of their efforts to live off the Fife Diet where they strive to ensure their diet is 80 per cent locally-sourced food.
Liz had been composting her chicken manure by placing it in the brown bin provided by the council - believing the manure to produce a nutrient-rich, humus-like material suitable for use as a fertiliser or soil amendment.
However, Liz was left stunned last week to be told by the local authority that she was no longer allowed to place her chicken droppings in the brown bin and had to use the black container instead.
Liz said, "We've been dumping chicken manure in our brown bins since August 2010.
"The council picked it up just fine until last Wednesday when we received a yellow tag on our bin that said 'Animal waste found, will not collect'.
"We now have to put it in the black bin for landfill. This is the advice we received from the council if we wish the council to dispose of our manure."
She continued, "Chicken manure is the best fertiliser in the world. Do a Google search on black gold and chicken manure and you will find it is very valuable and considered some of the best composting material around.
"We belong to the Fife Diet so our food is locally-sourced. This is why we have chickens.
"We're giving the manure away now to the Fife Diet gardens in Burntisland instead so it can come to some use instead of dumping it."
Fife Council environmental sustainability manager Chris Ewing said, "There are animal by-products regulations that limits what waste can be composted by the method that we use.
"Our composting materials are shredded, stacked and we allow nature to take its course and turn it into compost.
"Because there is no complete control over the process, where we can guarantee that any germs or bacteria that might be potentially hazardous to humans or plant health will be found in the process, we are limited to producing compost from horticultural waste, such as grass cuttings.
"It is an unfortunate reality that the law does not allow us to include animal waste in the compost that we produce.
"That's why we ask people not to put it in the brown bin."
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Paddy O Doors
Unregistered User
May 20, 13:22
Report comment...and this story is the same as what Liz is putting in the bin.
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Father Ted
Unregistered User
May 20, 14:13
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chicken george
Unregistered User
May 20, 18:46
Report commentThis is fair enough, an explanation has been offered as to why the chicken poo cannot be taken in the council bin.
However in this eco friendly world we have all been introduced to, shouldn't Chris Ewing be pro-active in his role and be seeking a amendment to the "regulations" which will permit chicken poo to be used now that the issue has been raised. And if a solution can't be found an explanation as such be offered.
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growmore
Unregistered User
May 20, 23:11
Report comment -
I agree with Jan
Unregistered User
May 23, 13:06
Report commentIf it's that good why don't they just spread it on their roses?
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******
May 23, 15:33
Report commentThis comment has been removed by a moderator
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jan the man
Unregistered User
May 24, 12:38
Report commentgot moderators working again today--instead of filing their nails--and that is the blokes
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