In Julian Baggini’s article (The scandal of food waste – and how we can stop it, 8 October), I’m surprised that recycling for compost wasn’t given more prominence. At a household level, far more can be composted than at present, including scraps of leftover cooked food if mixed in with other organic material and relatively secure “Dalek” compost bins used – contrary to prevailing advice about attracting rats, I have never had a problem and my compost is all the better for it.
For kerb collections, an overhaul of regulations is required to make waste food collection compulsory for local authorities which, as has recently happened in Shropshire where I live, have abandoned food waste collection because their decision to charge for green bin collection falls foul of section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that prevents local authorities from collecting food waste when a charge is imposed.
Patrick Cosgrove
Chapel Lawn, Shropshire
• In your article on reducing food waste, it’s a shame that there was no mention of the large amount of land, water and fertiliser wasted on growing pumpkins, which ought to be a food crop but are almost all used as decorations for a few days, after which many end up littering our open spaces and being a threat to hedgehogs. Food waste on a huge scale is just one of the detrimental effects of the commercialisation of Halloween.
Joy Webb
Penistone, South Yorkshire
• “Earth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance, say top scientists”. What could be more important than this story – but it was on page 2 of the print edition (9 October). It should have been on the front, ahead of stories about politics and money.
Bill Linton
London
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