Compost does grow on trees!
| Published: 1st May 2007 22:37 |
The competition has been organised by Hertsmere Borough Council to celebrate the seventh annual Compost Awareness Week, which between Sunday 6 and Sunday 12 May.
Compost Awareness Week aims to encourage more people to recognise the benefits of home composting and the great results that can be achieved by using peat-free composts containing recycled material.
Gemma Godfrey, Community Waste Officer, said: "As a nation we produce around 30 million tonnes of rubbish each year and over half of this waste can be easily recycled. In fact, over one third of the contents of an average UK household dustbin can be home composted, not to mention all the garden waste that can be added to a compost bin. Yet many people still do not recognise how important this is to do.
"Compost Awareness Week is our chance to help people understand the benefits of compost. If everyone gets involved in spreading the compost message, we can all help to create a cleaner environment for future generations."
An average household in Hertsmere could divert an astounding 150kg of organic waste a year from landfill by home composting. When sent to landfill, organic waste breaks down without oxygen, producing methane that contributes to global warming. In our compost bins, with access to air and the correct mix of 'green' and 'brown' material (green is nutrient rich waste, like vegetable peelings and grass cuttings, brown is fibre rich waste, like dry leaves and paper), the waste will break down properly and not produce methane, which is good news for the environment. Because the nutrients can then be put back into the ground instead of lost in landfill, it's also an essential way of maintaining the natural cycle.
To find out more about home composting, why not visit our one of our Composting Awareness Roadshows taking place across the borough:
Tuesday 8 May Bushey High Road 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 9 May Borehamwood High St (outside Superdrug) 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10 May Radlett (car spaces opposite Budgens) 10am - 2pm
Friday 11 May Sainsburys Potters Bar 10am - 4pm
Gemma adds: "At the roadshow you'll be able to find out more about home composting and how to order a bin. We are also running a competition to win garden goodies including a large clay plant pot with gardening gloves, vegetable and flower seeds, a book, trowel, fork and sieve as well as some national gardening vouchers.
"The environment is something we all care about and everyone wants to do their bit. Home composting is so easy to do - fruit and vegetable peelings, garden waste, eggs shells, egg boxes and even the contents of your vacuum cleaner can all be composted. If everyone simply composted at home, we could make a huge difference to the environment."
Almost anything organic can be composted - from shredded confidential documents and scrunched up cardboard to grass cuttings. All this waste breaks down naturally to produce a free-of-charge fertiliser which can be used to keep plants and gardens looking green and beautiful - and it even helps soil to retain moisture, which is good news during the hot summer months.
To find out more about home composting either come visit us at our roadshow or visit: www.hertsmere.gov.uk or www.compostawarenessweek.org.uk
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