Hackney Council’s Recycling Team has won a national award for community composting schemes in the borough.

The Team picked up the award for Best Waste Minimisation/Prevention Project at the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Awards on 3 November, in recognition of work over the past 12 months developing composting initiatives and setting up small-scale projects on estates across Hackney.

The composting schemes have been successful in diverting organic waste from landfill, and they have also provided residents with compost for their gardens and communal food growing sites.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The award is well deserved by the Recycling Team for their hard work to improve and develop services that continue to help make the borough cleaner and greener. Well done to everyone involved.”

Commenting on the award, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Waste and Recycling, Lord Henley, said: “I was very impressed with Hackney Council’s community composting schemes, and the processes they had in place to reduce waste, which I saw during a recent visit to the borough.

“This is a great example of localism in action, with the local authority supporting and providing guidance for a community that wants to do the right thing in looking after their environment.”

For more information about composting in Hackney, call: 020 8356 6688; or visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/3376