Birmingham Friends of the Earth has been going since 1973. We’re based at ‘The Warehouse’ in digbeth and we campaign on local, national and global issues. Currently we’re running a campaign to influence the city councils waste strategy ‘Waste isn’t Rubbish!’

We think that the current strategy is outdated and has not caught up with changes in technology and changing attitudes towards waste. The council is carrying out a consultation at the moment and we’re trying to build some momentum behind our campaign so we can move the city towards zero waste.

The problem is that Birmingham has not learnt to see its waste as a resource. The council has been locked in a 25 year contract with Veolia in which Birmingham pays a large sum of money to dispose of our waste. The majority of this waste is burned at an incinerator in Tysley. Although this generates a small amount of energy, it also generates pollution and destroys a valuable resource. But this contract ends in 2019 giving us an opportunity to do something different.

Instead we would like to see food waste processed in an anearobic digester. This would turn our food waste into fuel, which could be used to power local buses, and fertiliser for local food growers. Separating food waste also means that the remaining waste can be sorted and recycled as it is no longer contaminated. We would like to see this done by local businesses as much as possible.

We’re asking everybody who cares about the future of our city and supports the ideas of our campaign to add their voice by signing our petition (below)

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For more information about the campaign and other campaigns we are involved with, please visit our website at http://www.birminghamfoe.org.uk/waste-recycling/

To view campaign leaflet click image below: