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With important government and Derbyshire County and District Council environmental initiatives now gaining prominence, the Baslow & Bubnell Parish Council has established a Working Group to examine the environmental issues as they affect the Parish and to make recommendations on these matters. Over the past 5-6 months the Working Group has met periodically and with a number of experts and Council authorities. It has also reviewed policies of other councils both in Derbyshire and nationally and a wide range of literature and expertise in the broad aspects of environment concerns.
The Parish Council has decided that during the next year it will prepare and distribute publicity to advise parishioners on matters concerning a range of locally relevant environmental issues. It is also planning to have meetings with parishioners to obtain their views and feedback of suggested plans. The Council would like to see that the current activities of the Working Group should be extended to involve parishioners who may be interested in environmental matters. It is envisaged that the group´s activities might be taken over and run by villagers in collaboration with other community organisations (e.g. The Residents' Association, St. Anne´s School) and become a self-generating organisation.
Over the next few months the BBPC will be publishing some useful advice in the Parish News about “green matters” and related advice on general matters concerning improving the environment in Baslow and Bubnell. These and other related articles will be collated together in a convenient easy to read booklet, which will be circulated to all villagers, possibly early next year.
It is planned to have a public meeting in the next few months to discuss "green matters" at which invited speakers will present talks on matters of potential interest to the community (e.g. energy saving, recycling, composting). There are many examples not only in the Derbyshire County (e.g. Sustainable Youlgrave; see www.sustainableyoulgrave.org) but in other parts of the UK (Ashton Hayes in Cheshire - the "Going Carbon Neutral Project"; the CarbonNeutral Project; see www.goingcarbonneutral.co.uk) where communities have come together and become involved in developing projects and understanding how action in developing improvements in the environment have had positive, cost-saving and highly beneficial outcomes both for householders and the community. Funding is available to help develop these projects (e.g. the Sustainable Development Fund run locally by the Peak District National Park Authority (see www.peakdistrict.gov.uk). We hope it may be possible to discuss a wide range of these ideas and options with the aim of taking action in the near future. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in being involved in this initiative, Green Baslow, then please contact the Parish Clerk, Mrs Carolyn Jennings, at: clerk.baslow.bubnell@googlemail.com or telephone: 01629-734889.
The first of the Green Baslow Useful Advice that follows relates to new developments for waste management and recycling which have been evolving at both the Derbyshire County and Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC) in recent years. The County Council has a statutory obligation to be responsible for waste disposal from the collections by the DDDC. Major developments undertaken by the County Council include establishment of new waste facilities which will enable greatly enhanced recycling and conversion of waste into compostable material and energy, including that which can be converted to supply the National Grid for profit, an extensive saving for the county. Linked to this are the development of new local collection facilities by DDDC in Buxton, Northwood - Harrison Way (near Peak Rail at Rowsley), Ashbourne and other locations in the Dales to which the public can take waste directly or where some collections (including those from the Saturday Lorry) by the DDDC will be processed.
The following is advice from the DDDC (www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/rubbish_waste_and_recycling/household_waste)
What can and can´t go in the garden waste bin? (Green Bin)
TIP: Line Green Bin with newspaper or a flattened cardboard box to ensure the waste can be easily tipped out. Please do not compact and squash your Green Waste as this prevents it from emptying properly.
Yes please: Garden Waste Garden plants and weeds, hedge trimmings, small branches and bark, leaves and grass cuttings, house plants and compost. Bedding from pets on vegetarian diets.
Yes please: Cardboard of any type including cereal and food boxes. Flatten cardboard boxes and where possible remove staples and any substantial packaging tape. Don´t include cartons with plastic, wax or foil coatings such as orange juice cartons.
Yes please: Kitchen Waste vegetable peelings, fruit peel and cores, cooked or uncooked meat, fish and bones, tea bags, coffee grounds, any other food scraps (cooked or uncooked). All kitchen waste can be wrapped in newspaper or put into an uncoated cardboard box and placed in your Garden Bin. The paper or cardboard will be composted with the garden and kitchen waste. No plastic of any type.
No thanks to the following:
Soil, rubble, stones, plastic sacks/bags of any kind, household rubbish and other recyclables (glass, cans, plastic bottles etc.), plant pots, nappies, ash, cat and dog faeces, cartons with plastic, wax or foil coatings. It is your responsibility to ensure that your Green Bin does not contain any of the above. If any of the above items are in your Green Bin, it will not be emptied.
What can go in the household refuse bin? (Grey Bin)
All household rubbish except the material listed below. Place in carrier bags or kitchen bin liners.
What can´t go in either bin?
Hazardous waste, liquids including paint and oil, rubble, stone or soil, heavy metal items.
Certain properties remain on the black sack collection (4 sacks per collection) due to problems with difficult terrain, access problems or remoteness. New sacks will be delivered in rolls (52 sacks per roll), two rolls once a year.
The ‘Blue Box Scheme’ is for edge of property collection of glass and paper for recycling. If you are unsure of your collection day contact the Environment Hotline 01629 761215 or email to address below with your full postal address and we send out a calendar of your collection dates for the year.
Paper and glass will be collected fortnightly normally on the same day as your refuse collection.
Argos is encouraging its customers to recycle their old catalogues and is seeking the support of local authorities to encourage customers to recycle their old catalogue. Catalogues are 100% recyclable, made from paper that is sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources, using paper mills that meet international environmental standards.
The BBPC Working Group has suggested to DDDC that they instigate another box collection for plastics of all kind.
Residents who are unable to put their wheeled bins or sack at the edge of the property themselves, can apply for an assisted collection. Contact the Environment Hotline on 01629 761215 or email environmenthotline@derbyshiredales.gov.uk..
This facility has bins for collecting the following recyclable waste:
This service is provided at approximately fortnightly intervals during summer and less frequently in winter. Collections are made from West End and the Nether End Car Park. Notice of the dates and timings for collections can be found in the Parish News or the BBPC Notice Boards.
Most non-recyclable items can be disposed of in the lorry, with the exception of hazardous items (see list below).
The Working Group of BBPC is concerned that there is a large amount of green or recyclable waste that goes into the waste collection lorry and would like to see some form of separate collection. Accordingly, it has suggested that to improve the recycling that a special collection for green and recyclable waste be made on an alternate Saturday collection. This would not affect the total number of collections. Comments on this suggestion would be welcome by the Parish Council.
If you do not have wheeled bins or if you have any other difficulties or queries, please contact or visit Town Hall, Bank Road, Matlock, Derbys., DE4 3NN. Telephone -Environment Hotline: 01629 761215 e-mail: environmenthotline@derbyshiredales.gov.uk.
Hazardous items such as TV's, computer monitors, fridges and freezers will be collected upon request. For this contact the Environmental Hotline (above). Please return any medicines to your local pharmacy. Other household hazardous wastes such as pesticides, weed killers, photographic chemicals and petrol will be collected by Derbyshire County Council.
Where there are large quantities of garden waste an additional 240 litre green wheeled bin can be purchased at a one off cost of £45.50. Contact the Environment Hotline on 01629 761215 or email environmenthotline@derbyshiredales.gov.uk
See: www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/rubbish_waste_and_recycling/default.asp or for information on county waste management contact the Environmental Services, Derbyshire County Council, County Hall, Matlock, and Telephone: 01626-580000.
The BBPC Working Group would like to acknowledge the invaluable help in obtaining expert help and advice on various initiatives concerning environment matters by Cllr Mike Longden. Among those who have met with and advised the Working Group are Mr Joe Dugdale (Derbyshire Rural Development Council), Ms Allison Thomas (Assistant Director for Environmental Planning (including waste management), Derbyshire County Council), Ms Heidi Finlay (Head of Waste Management, DDDC).