Food waste is growing but so are compost demonstration sites – including one in Shropshire!
With the UK throwing away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in a single year – it’s more important than ever to show people how to recycle waste by composting.
Sustainable gardening charity Garden Organic is on a mission to do just that at its growing number of Compost Demonstration Sites, where its Master Composters demystify composting and provide all-important life skills to communities.
There are now 13 sites in locations around the UK providing hands-on advice and training for residents, organisations and businesses – and more are planned.
The charity’s Shropshire Compost Demonstration Site at the Shropshire Wildlife Trust Cut Visitor Centre shows visitors how easy it is to compost at home - with any size garden or budget. Visitors get the chance to get hands-on with different types of compost bin and the wildlife gardens are also free to explore.
“There’s nowhere else in the country where people can benefit from such comprehensive composting advice,” says David Garrett, head of Knowledge Transfer at Garden Organic. “Having more of these sites means we can reach more communities and help more people learn the amazing benefits of composting.”
The expansion of the charity’s composting sites couldn’t have come at a better time for local authorities. Upcoming changes in waste legislation will require all local authorities to collect food waste separately, with home composting the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with unavoidable food and garden waste.
“So much of our food waste ends up in residual waste bins where it’s burnt to generate energy, or in landfill, where it becomes a source for greenhouse gases. Food waste collections across the UK will help but composting at home offers us a simple solution to recycling waste into something valuable that will nourish soil, seeds and plants. We’re excited to be increasing our composting sites and hope to open many more in the coming years.”
To find out more about the Shropshire Compost Demonstration site, head to shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/cut-visitor-centre.
To find out more about visiting or volunteering, head to the Master Composter pages on the Garden Organic website. Or to support the charity with this vital outreach work, head to gardenorganic.org.uk/join.
