Compost Awareness Week

This week is Compost Awareness Week (4 – 10 may 2008) a joint event by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and The Composting Association.

The aim of the week is to look at ways to green up your environment. Essentially there are two types of composting activity: the large commercial composting that the likes of Premier Waste Management do and the smaller composting efforts done in people's gardens or through community composting schemes. In each case the raw material is the grass cuttings, plant, hedge and tree clippings from a garden or park. And the end result is green recycled compost - which actually looks very black and is full of nutrients.

What is green recycled compost
This is made from garden and parks clippings either collected from the householder or from your local authority (including household waste recycling sites). This is why it is important not to put plastic bags or other things that could contaminate the garden clippings into the collection bin – just put in the clippings loose and if you visit the household waste recycling site take your bags away with you to be reused.

The material is shredded and then composted just like you might do at home. But instead of being put into a large bin it is laid out in long rows called windrows. The compost is turned by large machines to keep in active and breaking down. Premier Waste Management made over 34,000 tonnes of compost this way and nationally over two million tonnes was made.

There are two reasons why you want to stop garden clipping going to landfill. The first is that once they are landfilled the bacteria that feeds on the material will produce methane – this is 22 times more powerful then carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

The second reason is that it makes a valuable product that can be used to nourish plants and for other things around the garden. Because this recycled compost is being used it means that fresh earth and peat is not being dug up elsewhere and that reduces your carbon footprint.

So what should you do with your garden clipping;
1. Find out if your council offers a garden clipping collection service.
2. Take your clippings to your local household waste recycling site.
3. Start your own compost bin.

Making compost is a bit of an art so don’t be afraid to get some help. You can find more information about composting and links to loads more sites that offer free advice at www.premierwaste.com/compost

If there are any compost associations or other expert composters out there that would like to link from our compost section send an email to recycling@premierwaste.com