The 13 - 19 March is Compost Week UK which celebrates the benefits of composting.
Composting is a natural process, transforming your household waste into nutrient-rich food for your garden
Kari Best, our Strategy and Insight Manager, has given us some top tips on composting that you can use at home.
Feed the soil
You can compost almost all your food waste, garden waste (not weeds) and cardboard.
This will save you from buying compost. It also means your waste won't end up in landfills giving off harmful methane. This is even worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.
Compost bins might be available from your council, or you can make your own by cutting off the bottom of an old bin.
Go peat-free
If you do buy compost, make sure its peat-free.
The UK Government is banning the sale of peat for use in amateur gardening from 2024. This is to protect peatlands and the natural environment.
Over 90% of Britain’s peat bogs have been damaged or destroyed. Around 70% of peat today is used by gardeners as potting compost. Peat bogs are thousands of years old and are important for protecting our wildlife. They help us to understand our climate and manage our environment so we need to protect them. Peatbogs are amazing at storing harmful CO2. On average they store 10 times more carbon per hectare than any other ecosystem, including forests.
Grow your own food
The carbon footprint created by the production, processing and transport of our food is huge. Help to reduce emissions by growing your own. Even a small space in your garden dedicated to growing root vegetables will save you money and do a little bit more for the planet.
One of the easiest fruits to grow is the cooking apple. Just one tree should give you several weeks of delicious pies and crumbles.
If you don't have a garden, you can grow all kinds of things on a sunny windowsill - try chillies, Peppers, tomatoes, and basil for starters.
If you're growing veg, place mulch around the plants to help the soil keep moisture and prevent weeds from growing. You can make your own mulch using homemade compost, a layer of tree bark, peat-free compost, or even newspaper.
Want more tips?
Your local Wildlife Trust have lots of ideas for gardening and composting. They also provide opportunities for volunteering, visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening.
#CompostWeekUK
The 13 - 19 March is Compost Week UK which celebrates the benefits of composting.
Composting is a natural process, transforming your household waste into nutrient-rich food for your garden
Kari Best, our Strategy and Insight Manager, has given us some top tips on composting that you can use at home.
Feed the soil
You can compost almost all your food waste, garden waste (not weeds) and cardboard.
This will save you from buying compost. It also means your waste won't end up in landfills giving off harmful methane. This is even worse for the environment than carbon dioxide.
Compost bins might be available from your council, or you can make your own by cutting off the bottom of an old bin.
Go peat-free
If you do buy compost, make sure its peat-free.
The UK Government is banning the sale of peat for use in amateur gardening from 2024. This is to protect peatlands and the natural environment.
Over 90% of Britain’s peat bogs have been damaged or destroyed. Around 70% of peat today is used by gardeners as potting compost. Peat bogs are thousands of years old and are important for protecting our wildlife. They help us to understand our climate and manage our environment so we need to protect them. Peatbogs are amazing at storing harmful CO2. On average they store 10 times more carbon per hectare than any other ecosystem, including forests.
Grow your own food
The carbon footprint created by the production, processing and transport of our food is huge. Help to reduce emissions by growing your own. Even a small space in your garden dedicated to growing root vegetables will save you money and do a little bit more for the planet.
One of the easiest fruits to grow is the cooking apple. Just one tree should give you several weeks of delicious pies and crumbles.
If you don't have a garden, you can grow all kinds of things on a sunny windowsill - try chillies, Peppers, tomatoes, and basil for starters.
If you're growing veg, place mulch around the plants to help the soil keep moisture and prevent weeds from growing. You can make your own mulch using homemade compost, a layer of tree bark, peat-free compost, or even newspaper.
Want more tips?
Your local Wildlife Trust have lots of ideas for gardening and composting. They also provide opportunities for volunteering, visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening.
#CompostWeekUK
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