Epsom & Ewell is a Borough just outside London, and Surrey County Council is the regional authority. Epsom & Ewell is responsible for waste collection, and Surrey for waste disposal.

With a population of about 75,000, Epsom & Ewell, creates about 30,000 tons of waste a year, and of this, about 10,000 tons is organic matter. As it is a very leafy borough, about 6,000 tons is thought to be wood-based, either trunks or large prunings.

At present, the household waste is collected in wheely bins and all of this must go to landfill, whether it is garden waste or other stuff - once it is in the wheely bin, it can never be separated out again. However an estimated 2,000 tons a year is taken to the waste site and put into the "green hole" by householders. Some of this may be recycled by the waste contractor, but this is not a requirement, and it is anyway shipped about 30 miles to a compost company.

Epsom & Ewell Council now does roadside collections of paper, glass and metal cans, and this is now 8% of the total waste. Council collections of organic materials may begin soon, but as things stand at the moment this would be taken away and not composted in the Borough. It would be better for the sustainability of our gardens to retain and compost as much as possible of our own material in our own gardens