Compost Awareness Week

James Qualtrough | May 9, 2012 | 0 Comments

The twelfth annual International Compost Awareness Week is being celebrated this week and islanders are encouraged to get involved by composting at home and using Soil Improver made from the Island’s garden waste.

The Transport and Technical Services (TTS) Recycling Team have been supplying local garden centres with subsidised home composting kits since 2004. Since then, over 4,000 kits have been sold resulting in one in ten homes recycling their kitchen and garden waste into free compost for use in the garden.

Households that have not yet produced their own compost can still benefit from local composting as TTS produce Genuine Jersey Soil Improver from the island’s commercial and household garden waste. Approximately 13,000 tonnes of garden waste was composted by TTS last year, recycled into a commercial ‘agricompost’ and Genuine Jersey Soil Improver.

Soil Improver is now available to buy in 40 litre bags from the Household Green Waste Reception at Gate 15 Bellozanne due to a partnership between TTS, who produce the Soil Improver, and the States of Jersey Prison Service who package it ready for sale.

Emma Richardson, Recycling Manager said: “Composting is an essential part of local recycling. We are delighted that one in ten homes is home composting and hope that events such as Compost Awareness Week will encourage more people to get involved, make use of things like grass cuttings and old tea bags and literally reap the rewards in their gardens.”