Martin Deane, Green Party candidate for Hull North, speaking from New Smithfield Market Manchester, says, "This VCU represents an exciting new opportunity for Hull, which currently only recycles about 12% of recyclable material. This technology, in conjunction with other measures such as the provision of domestic composting bins, could enable Hull to reach 40%."

It costs Hull City Council £140 per tonne to dump material into landfill sites. One VCU handles 1,500 tonnes per year, turning kitchen and garden organic waste into saleable compost. This means each VCU, currently priced at £150,000, would soon recoup the initial outlay.

Experience from sites in Manchester and Sheffield show the units to be odour free and quiet enough to be situated alongside residential housing.

"From our point of view-- in the Green Party-- the real advantage of VCU technology, apart from the recycling, is that the methane emitted by most landfill sites is eliminated in this process. This is important because methane destroys the ozone layer at 21 times the rate of carbon dioxide," says Martin.

"The Vertical Composting Unit is safe, economical, unobtrusive, provides employment and produces useful compost. An ideal Green solution to urban waste."