THE composting on Upwood Airfield (The Hunts Post, November 22) has been in operation for over six years to my knowledge and has had no complaints until it was brought to the public s knowledge via a planning application last year. Before elected town cou

THE composting on Upwood Airfield (The Hunts Post, November 22) has been in operation for over six years to my knowledge and has had no complaints until it was brought to the public's knowledge via a planning application last year.

Before elected town councillors (who are in a position of responsibility) take it upon themselves to start a campaign or vendetta against the composting company, they should look into the reasons why it is happening in the first place.

The onions are going for composting because the consumer must have a perfect shape and size of onion, leaving other perfectly good onions with no market. The only remaining home for these rejected onions is either landfill or composting. The Government is encouraging the use of composting, as landfill sites are being filled rapidly and the local landfill at Warboys receives constant complaints of smell.

While we are on the subject of composting, where does the councillor think his rubbish goes each week? It is to local sites for composting.

Also, where does the local councillor think his sewage goes to? That is spread on local land, and I can tell you that it is not a pleasant smell either, but where else can it go?

I have a suggestion for the councillor that would solve the local stench, and that is to load all our onions, waste bins and sewage onto a container ship and send it to the other side of the world so as they may suffer our locally-produced stench.

That is not a fair or sensible option, so where does the councillor think the composting should take place, because it certainly has to be composted somewhere in the area local to where it is produced.

DAVID WAKEFIELD

Manor Farm

Bury

I WANT to voice my support for the composting facility on the outskirts of Ramsey in light of a recent article in The Hunts Post (November 22).

I have been a resident of Ramsey for over 30 years and, despite having lived in larger towns and cities, have settled in Ramsey because I prefer a more rural and agricultural way of life.

This might occasionally mean the smell of composting waste from a local farm, or mud on the road, or being stuck behind a tractor, but these are all things that are going to happen when you live in a rural area and decide to adopt a life in the country.

Rather the smell of onions, the mud and the tractors, than the stench and grime of a smog that leaves you filthy at the end of the day, or graffiti covering the walls, or being stuck in a 10-mile tailback on the M25.

And let's not forget the positive benefits of composting: compost has the ability to help regenerate poor soils; the composting process has been shown to absorb odours and treat semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds; composting organic materials that have been diverted from landfill ultimately avoids the production of methane and leachate; using compost can reduce the need for water, fertilisers, and pesticides. More landfill space is saved.

I think these benefits outweigh any negative comments, and would stand behind the farmers committed to ensuring our environment is that little bit better for the future.

MARK DAY

Vinery Court

Ramsey

MAY I add my forkful to the utterings of Messrs Cusack and Powell (November 22) on the subject of green waste composting? This project is an agricultural undertaking in a rural area and should be applauded, not condemned, as it seems to be by a couple who have little knowledge of the agricultural scene.

All organic matter gives off a smell as it degrades -- green grass, straw as it composts, potatoes, onions, carrots, the lot. This smell lasts for a relatively short time and is not unpleasant, unlike Warboys toxic waste site, which may contain unknown substances which, for all we know, may be leaching poisons into our dykes and waterways for years to come.

My message to Messrs Cusack and Powell is stick to what you understand, and work with the Environment Agency to improve our lot. That makes sense and, if you really want to do something useful, find out whose dog regularly fouls Marriott's yard. Then you would certainly get a vote from some of the residents of the town who have had to negotiate the mess.

JR EDWARDS

Newtown Road

Ramsey