02 May 2008
Composting makes sense- this week and every week
The eight annual Compost Awareness Week takes place across Wealden and nationwide from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 May 2008. Compost Awareness Week is a celebration of how kitchen and garden waste creates one of the many benefits of recycling.
"We want to encourage as many people as possible to recognise the benefits of home composting," said Councillor Sylvia Tidy, Cabinet member for Community Development . "Over 94 per cent of Britain's peat bogs have been damaged and destroyed mainly because of commercial demand among gardeners over the past 50 years for peat to enrich their soil.
"But by buying your own compost bin, you will have a ready-made supply of compost on hand. You are not only protecting the world's peat bogs, but reducing the amount of unnecessary waste going into our limited landfill sites. And you can achieve some great results in your garden.
"Compost Awareness Week is our chance to help people realise the benefits of compost. As a nation we produce around 30 million tonnes of rubbish each year and over one third of the contents of an average UK household wheelie bin can be home composted. Not to mention all the garden waste that can be added in the course of the gardening year."
There are a variety of compost bins on offer at a reduced price to East Sussex residents starting at just £9.95. These include the traditional type of compost bin for garden waste to the new Green Cone and Green Johanna food waste digesters which take cooked food, dairy products, meat and fish.
As part of this week's celebration of home composting there are a number of activities taking place in Wealden. There will be composting displays in the reception areas of the Council's offices in Vicarage Lane, Hailsham; and Pine Grove, Crowborough. Free sunflower seeds are on offer and there's a competition with some fabulous prizes to win.
Or why not visit the KPS compost site at Isfield to find out what happens to your green garden waste and cardboard collected on Wealden’s CROWN recycling scheme, and from householders in Eastbourne.
KPS will be holding an Open Day on Saturday May 17, from 9am and 1pm at its site at Boathouse Farm, Lewes Road, Isfield, East Sussex TN22 5JJ. Organised tours will give you an insight into what happens to your green waste, explaining the processes and machinery used to turn this waste into a useful recycled product. Waste Management staff from both Wealden District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council will also be available to provide information on your green waste collections and composting and answer any queries you may have. The East Sussex County Council's Compost Doctors will also be attending the KPS Open Day.
Just bring your own bag and fill it for free with soil enhancer. Alternatively, 40 litre bags of soil enhancer can be purchased for £1 a bag.
KPS Composting has been producing compost from household green waste for over ten years in Sussex. Each year over 11,000 tonnes of green waste and cardboard collected from Wealden households is turned into a high quality soil enhancer.
Soil enhancer produced from kerbside green waste collections can be regularly purchased either loose or in bags from:
KPS' composting site in Isfield (Tel 01444 831307).
The Heathfield and Mountfield Household Waste Recycling sites.
Robins of Herstmonceux (Tel. 01323 833181).
Scaynes Hill Landscapes, Haywards Heath (Tel 01825 791470).
For advice on home composting, green waste collections as part of the C.R.O.W.N. recycling service and information on any of the compost bin offers, please contact the Waste Management Team at Wealden District Council on 01892 602626 or email recycling@wealden.gov.uk.
