County to celebrate Compost Awareness Week

The eighth annual Compost Awareness Week will be celebrated nationwide from
May 4 until May 10 and Herefordshire Council and Worcestershire County Council will be supporting the week by holding promotional events and activities during the week.

Compost Awareness Week aims to encourage more people to recognise the benefits of home composting and the great results that can be achieved by using peat free composts containing recycled materials.

More than one third of the contents of an average UK household bin can be home composted, not to mention all the garden waste that can also be added to a compost bin.

Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. It's easy to make and even easier to use. And composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months.

Household waste and garden waste can be combined in your compost bin to make excellent compost. For example, grass cuttings can be mixed with shredded confidential paper work, egg boxes and scrunched up newspaper to produce fantastic results. Fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells and shredded garden waste can all be added to the compost bin.

To learn more about home composting, come along to one of the Compost Roadshows, have a look at the composting exhibition, speak to informative advisors and volunteers and try your hand at winning prizes. A Bosch AXT 2200 Rapid shredder will be up for grabs for all visitors who enter the competition. Every visitor will receive a free packet of sunflower seeds.

Friday, May 9: Angel Place, Worcester 10:00 - 15:30
Saturday, May 10: Hereford High Town 10:00 - 15:30

Special promotions will be running at local Household Recycling Centre throughout the week.

Compost bins can be ordered from as little as £12. Go online at http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/ or call 0845 077 0757 to order your bin. Everyone that orders a compost bin during Compost Awareness Week will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 of National Garden Vouchers.

For more information about our other waste prevention initiatives log on to http://www.wastemissionimpossible.org.uk/ or call the Mission Impossible hotline on
01905 766883.