After sharing this across multiple groups (with a bit of dispute over composting) a few local counsellors finally saw it and noted that leaves from roads cannot be composted because they're contaminated by oil... this could be true but many / most of the leaves I’ve seen in bags look fresh off the trees - debatable. 

It was also brought to light that very little plastics from Brighton get recycled anyway, only incinerated. So all of these leaves, plastic bags, and most of our 'recycling' will get incinerated...

BUT  If we really can't compost the leaves, then we can at least stop overusing these plastic bags. Nearly 200 more people have signed this petition in the last few hours, I hope to get it to the 1000's so we can at least raise some awareness of the overuse of plastics, and the sad reality of how little recycling Brighton really does.

I'll also be taking more steps to cut down my own personal plastic use knowing that we don't even know where our recycling goes or whether it gets recycled. Every little step makes a difference.