The sun is shining and the evenings are getting longer, which means summer is on the way again. I live in Newtown which is densely populated. There are lots of terraced houses and small front gardens.In this sort of area the not so new fortnightly collection brings with it a big problem in the summer time. Smelly bins. When the first hot spell hits us food waste that is sitting around in bins for up to a fortnight really starts to smell. The council may have got rid of the ‘Whitley Whiff‘ but unfortunately the fortnightly one has replaced it.

This new whiff comes from food waste rotting quickly in peoples‘ bins in hot weather. Typically food waste makes up about a third of the average black bin. Currently it ends up in landfill causing emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane as well as taking up space. Soon it will be being incinerated which is just as much of a waste of a valuable resource.

I‘ve chatted to various people about coping mechanisms for bins that whiff. Only eating fish on the day before the black bin is collected and freezing food waste are two of my favourite coping tactics, but surely the council is missing out on a win win solution here, which is mass composting.

We‘re lucky as we have space for a compost heap at home, and many other people in Reading compost too, which helps with the whiff and produces a useful product. However, there are many who don‘t have the space, time or ability to do the same - it is worth noting that the council wants Reading to grow by 500 to 600 homes per year over the next 20 years (nearly 20%) and it is also anticipated that about 90% of these households will not have their own garden.

So what is to be done with this food waste? Well for a start Reading council could work towards introducing a weekly food waste collection as recommended by green groups including Friends of the Earth. What‘s more, if the composting method is anaerobic digestion it can also produce 100 per cent renewable energy. Nearby South Oxfordshire has already taken the path of a weekly food waste collection, why can‘t Reading? If you think that this is a good idea why not write to your councillor asking that the council investigate this option. With elections looming there is no better time to approach the candidates for your ward on issues of concern like this.