Why shouldn’t I put green garden waste in the refuse bin – surely it’s best to put things that rot into landfill?
When green garden waste is put out with general refuse it is collected and sent to landfill. Green waste decomposes producing a liquid and a gas in the process. As the liquid mixes with the other waste in the landfill, such as batteries, cleaning equipment, metals etc it becomes toxic. This liquid is called leachate, and will pollute watercourses should it escape from the landfill. The gas produced is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Not only does this contribute to climate change, but it can also make the landfill site unstable making the aftercare of the site very expensive. Therefore, from an environmental point of view it is better to compost your green waste at home. If this is not possible, it can be taken for centralised composting at your local Community Recycling Centre.
