Waste Management Policy

Kettering Allotments Waste Management Policy 

Introduction -

 A. Allotment land is precious, as is our planet.

 B. We recognise that waste is a large part of the problem facing humanity and the Earth and that it is a part of our duty of care to reduce, reuse and recycle any waste arising from allotment activities.

 C. This responsibility extends to the future generations that we hope will follow us on the allotments. We must not leave waste behind or contaminate the land for subsequent tenants. 

D.  Allotment activities lend themselves to the reuse of many materials, eg making a compost bin from pallets and we encourage this. 

E. One of the biggest challenges faced by stewards and the committee is dealing with non reusable waste left behind by previous and retired allotment tenants. Examples include hazardous and non-recyclable material such as asbestos, car tyres, carpet, broken glass, concrete, old toilets. 

F. One of our largest expenses has been for skips for waste left behind by tenants.

 Policy statement

 1. Allotment tenants have a duty of care to the land they rent and should leave it in good condition and uncontaminated.

 2. From 2021 a deposit is payable by all new tenants (see Deposit policy). This money is returnable when the tenancy ends provided that the allotment is left in good condition and any allotment gate key is returned. One aspect of this good condition is the absence of non-reusable waste.

 3. Bringing hazardous material to allotment land is forbidden by law and allotment rules. 

 4. Tenants should avoid bringing materials that are difficult to dispose of to allotment land, advice should be sought from field stewards and the committee if unsure. 

5. Once advised by stewards or the committee to remove unsuitable items then tenants should do so within a reasonable time frame eg. one month. Failure to do so will be considered a disciplinary matter. 

6. Tenants are encouraged to remove any broken and non-useful items on a regular basis and not allow these to accumulate. Where possible, the tenant should arrange for these to be sent for recycling, e.g. scrap metal

7. Stewards may set up temporary collection points, e.g. for scrap metal, to encourage recycling of broken items. Plastics and other non-recyclable rubbish must not be left on the metal recycling points, and must be taken to the tip (Council Household Waste Site).

8. New tenants should report any items they find on their plots that are inappropriate waste, eg old baths, carpet. 

9. A list of commonly found waste follows: 

This is not exhaustive and will change over time. 

For example in the past asbestos was a common and legal material for roofing but is now illegal and its disposal controlled by strict laws.

Also plastic waste was not considered harmful before the dangers of microplastic were known. 

• Asbestos - seek field steward/committee advice and do not handle or damage - asbestos dust is harmful and strict laws must be followed for specialist removal 

• Carpet - pollutes the soil and is prohibited, see rule 49 of tenancy agreement

• Tyres - old car tyres were once a fashionable garden accessory. They are toxic and banned on our allotments.

• Glass - hazardous when broken, wear thick gloves and take extreme care when bagging up and removing

• Old baths, again, were once fashionable to use as raised beds, but ugly and much worse than growing in the actual soil.

• Concrete - do not use concrete for posts, paths, sheds etc. Concrete has a very bad carbon footprint and is difficult to remove and dispose of

• Slabs - made of concrete. No more than 6 slabs per plot, eg as a shed base or short path, no large slab patios.

• Bricks - see slabs and concrete. Only a small number of bricks (no more than 10) allowed per plot

• UPVC doors and windows these should not be used for sheds, cold frames etc

• Old toilets and other plumbing fittings - please grow crops in the ground not eccentric containers on allotment land

• Think twice about bringing onto the allotment that old item that “might come in handy one day

• You name it, someone has dumped it on their allotment. Please don’t!

Kettering Allotments Waste Management Policy

Rationale -

A. Allotment land is precious, as is our planet.

B. We recognise that waste is a large part of the problem facing

humanity and the Earth and that it is a part of our duty of care to

reduce, reuse and recycle any waste arising from allotment activities.

C. This responsibility extends to the future generations that we hope will

follow us on the allotments. We must not leave waste behind or

contaminate the land for subsequent tenants.

D. Allotment activities lend themselves to the reuse of many materials,

eg making a compost bin from pallets and we encourage this.

E. One of the biggest challenges faced by stewards and the committee

is dealing with non reusable waste left behind by previous and retired

allotment tenants. Examples include hazardous and non-recyclable

material such as asbestos, car tyres, carpet, broken glass, concrete,

old toilets.

F. One of our largest expenses has been for skips for waste left behind

by tenants.

Policy statement

1. Allotment tenants have a duty of care to the land they rent and should

leave it in good condition and uncontaminated.

2. From 2021 a deposit is payable by all new tenants. This money is

returnable when the tenancy ends provided that the allotment is left in

good condition. One aspect of this good condition is the absence of

non-reusable waste.

3. Bringing hazardous material to allotment land is forbidden by law and

allotment rules.

4. Tenants should avoid bringing materials that are difficult to dispose of

to allotment land, advice should be sought from field stewards and

the committee if unsure.5. Once advised by stewards or the committee to remove unsuitable

items then tenants should do so within a reasonable time. Failure to

do so will be considered a disciplinary matter.

6. Tenants are encouraged to remove any broken and non-useful items

on a regular basis and not allow these to accumulate. Where

possible, these should be sent for recycling, e.g. broken

wheelbarrows.

7. Stewards may set up temporary collection points, e.g. for scrap

metal, to encourage recycling of broken items.

8. New tenants should report any items they find on their plots that are

inappropriate waste, eg old baths, carpet.

9. A list of commonly found waste follows. This is not exhaustive and

will change over time. For example in the past asbestos was a

common and legal material for roofing but is now illegal and its

disposal controlled by strict laws.. Also plastic waste was not

considered harmful before the dangers of microplastic were known.

● Asbestos - seek advice and do not handle or damage - asbestos dust

is harmful and strict laws must be followed for specialist removal

● Carpet

● Tyres - old car tyres were once a fashionable garden accessory. They

are toxic and banned on our allotments.

● Glass - hazardous when broken, wear thick gloves and take extreme

care when bagging up and removing

● Old baths, again, were once fashionable to use as raised beds, but

ugly and much worse than growing in the actual soil.

● Concrete - do not use concrete for posts, paths, sheds etc. Concrete

has a very bad carbon footprint and is difficult to remove and dispose

of

● Slabs - made of concrete. No more than 10 slabs per plot, eg as a

shed base or short path

● Bricks - see slabs and concrete. Only a small number of bricks

allowed per plot

● uPVC doors and windows

● Old toilets and other plumbing fittings - please grow crops in the

ground not eccentric containers on allotment land● Think twice about bringing that old item that “might come in handy

one day”

● You name it, someone has dumped it on their allotment. Please don’t!