A Statement from UK Detectornet

The Administration Team, Staff, and members of UKDN wholeheartedly support the campaign started on this forum to highlight the contamination issues surrounding some of the green waste currently being spread onto agricultural land in the UK.

Although the principle of recycling green waste is a sound one, organic material being good for the soil, it is the contamination of some of this material with non-organic waste, such as metal, and plastic, that is extremely concerning.

A UKDN Team member, Steve Wright, has produced a video of this contaminated material having been spread on a field. This is typical of the material being spread, and being widely reported by detectorists across the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDq9Ai_p7TI

Contamination of any description on agricultural land is severely detrimental for a myriad of reasons, including our own hobby of metal detecting, archaeological surveying methods, but of greatest concern must be the effect of this contamination on the wider environment, including flora and fauna on the farmland involved.

It appears that many processors are not following the government guidelines in preparing this material for composting the land on which it is to be spread. UKDN fully supports the call for tighter control, legislation, and enforcement, to bring this issue into line for the benefit of all concerned.

Please show your support, and concern, by signing the e-petition set up by another UKDN member and Moderator, Steve Rice, then follow the progress of this campaign on his blog.

http://bangreenwaste.blogspot.com/