Monday 15 May 2023
Guernsey Waste is teaming up with some green fingered islanders to help spread the message that home compost is great for the garden - and can also reduce the waste costs.
The new campaign has two aims - to encourage more islanders to take up home composting, and to get more composting waste from the kitchen, as well as the garden.
It comes as a survey found that more than 40% of households currently compost at home, but around half do not include food waste. As a result, every year hundreds of tonnes are being collected and exported, at a cost, which could be dealt with on island for free.
More than a third (37%) of households who currently only compost garden material used to include kitchen waste but have stopped since the introduction of food waste collections in 2018. Of those that still do, around one in five suggest they are now composting less food than they did previously.
The campaign will therefore focus on promoting the benefits of compost that can be produced at home and subsequently put to good use in the garden, as a natural, nutrient rich fertiliser. It will also try to raise awareness of the materials than can be included, which can reduce the need for more costly treatment.
In 2022, more than 3,500 tonnes of separate food waste was collected from households - equivalent to around 130kgs per home. After initial processing on-island, it is exported to a facility in southern England, where it is used to generate electricity and a fertiliser.
Not all food waste is suitable for composting at home, but as much as a third is. That includes raw fruit and vegetables, peelings, salad, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Waste prevention and recycling officer Tina Norman-Ross said the cost of managing this material would reduce if more households chose to compost at home.
"We think we can do more and are keen to encourage islanders who have stopped composting kitchen waste to give it a go again. Plus, there are probably a lot of islanders out 2 there who have not yet tried home-composting but could do. For instance, if they have moved house and have a garden for the first time," she said.
"Whether this is using a compost bins, building your own heap, creating a wormery, buying a hot bin, or even a bokashi - there are lots of ways to compost to suit the size of your garden."
"The more food waste we compost at home, the less we have to export and the less we all have to pay to process it."
Guernsey Waste provides subsidised home composting starter kits, sold through local garden centres for £10. They comprise of a compost bin, kitchen caddy and information leaflet, which would normally retail for £35. To give the initiative fresh impetus, Guernsey Waste has recruited a number of champions who are passionate about home composting.
One of the home composting champions is Dee Sangan, from the chemical free and sustainable flower growers Jamblin Flower Farm.
She said: "Home composting is a great way of getting the most out of your food and garden waste, benefiting your garden's ecosystem and your soil. It's also a wonderful learning opportunity for children, it's easy to ignite a bit of passion for learning about science and biodiversity whilst digging for or 'feeding' the worms."
The £10 home composting starter kits can be bought at Earlswood Garden Centre, Guernsey Gardens, Le Friquet Garden Centre, Queux Plant Centre, R.H Gaudion and Stan Brouard.
More advice on home composting can be found at www.gov.gg/composting. A host of information with home composting examples from Guernsey Waste's Champions, will also be shared on its social media channels - "Recycle for Guernsey"
