Going Green With the Brown Stuff ; Gardening IF You Plan on Going Greener, There’s Never Been a Bettertime. And One Great Way of Doing Your Bit for the Environment is to Recycleand Make Your Own Compost. And As ANN EVANS Discovers, It’s Never Beencheaper
By ANN EVANS
AS a nation we produce around 30 million tonnes of rubbish each year – more than half of which could easily be recycled.
In fact, over one third of the contents of an average UK household dustbin can be home composted, not to mention all the garden waste that can be added to a compost bin.
Yet many people still do not recognise how important and simple this is to do.
Len Parnell, secretary of the Coventry and district allotments and gardens council, is a firm believer in making and using compost – whatever the size of your garden.
“People abuse water on their gardens,” says Len. “When they turn the hosepipe on to their gardens and lawns they are actually doing more harm than good. The roots of the plants work their way upwards to get at the water, then the wind and sun dries themout. What you want is for the roots to go down into the soil.
“By putting compost on to your garden it retains the moisture, so stops the soil drying out and in turn cuts down on watering.
“Compost also suppresses weeds and, when dug in, it improves the soil structure. So ideally you want to put your compost on your garden in the summer, and in the winter dig it in.”
So what do we put in our compost?
“You want a mix of things,” says Len. “Put in all your raw vegetable leaves, eggshells, shredded newspaper – but one of the best things to put into your compost is grass cuttings because they really get hot.”
As well as being great for our own individual gardens, home composting is important for the environment as it diverts waste from landfill sites.
When organic waste items such as fruit scraps and vegetable peelings, grass cuttings and even newspaper are sent to landfill, they are unable to decompose properly because they get squashed under everything else and have no access to air.
Instead of breaking down into compost for use on the garden, they produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming.
So, rather than disposing of your organic waste in your rubbish bin, why not start composting at home?
Coventry allotment holders are getting down and dirty for the seventh UK Compost Awareness Week between May 6 and 12. The message is – Compost: make it, use it
HOW TO USE YOUR COMPOST
USE as mulch – scatter it over flowerbeds and around shrubs to prevent soil erosion and enrich the soil with extra nutrients.
USE when planting seeds as bulbs – mix one third compost with one third garden soil and one third sharp sand to improve drainage.
USE for potting more established plants, a combination of half home compost and half garden soil creates a really nutritious planting medium.
Further details: www.recyclenow.com/compost.
RECYCLING FACTS
EACH UK household produces over one tonne of rubbish annually – about 31 million tonnes for the UK each year.
EVERY year, the average dustbin contains enough unrealised energy for 500 baths, 3,500 showers or 5,000 hours of television.
ON average every person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks.
JUST one recycled aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.
EVERY steel can is 100 per cent recyclable. It can be recycled over and over again into products like bicycles and of course new cans.
GLASS can be recycled again and again without losing its clarity or purity.
NEARLY 3 billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year. 90 per cent of these end up in landfill, where they could take hundreds of years to decompose.
150 million plastic carrier bags are used in the UK each week – they can take up to 500 years to decay in landfill.
FOR more information visit www.recyclenow.com.
GETTING STARTED
1. THE Recycle Now campaign works with many local authorities across England to provide compost bins at reduced rates – from as little as pounds 8 – to encourage more people to take up home composting.
Log on to www.recyclenow.com/compost to see what offers are available in your area.
2. SITE your compost bin on a level, well-drained spot. This allows excess water to drain out and makes it easier for helpful creatures such as worms to get in and get working on breaking down the contents. Placing your bin in a partially sunny spot canhelp speed up the composting process.
3. GOOD things to put into your compost include: vegetable peelings, fruit waste, teabags, plant prunings and grass cuttings. These are considered “greens.” Greens are quick to rot and they provide important nitrogen and moisture.
Other things you can compost include cardboard egg boxes, fallen leaves and even ripped up newspaper. These are considered “browns” and are slower to rot. They provide fibre and carbon and also allow important air pockets to form in the mixture.
Crushed eggshells can be included to add useful minerals.
4. Composting tips: You need to keep your greens and browns properly balanced. If your compost is too wet, add more browns. If it’s too dry, add some greens. Adding scrunched up bits of cardboard is a simple way to create air pockets that will help keepyour compost healthy. Air can also be added by mixing the contents. After approximately six to nine months your finished compost will be ready.
5. Things NOT to put in your compost bin include cooked vegetables, meat, dairy products, diseased plants, and definitely no dog poo, cat litter or baby’s nappies.
6. Finished compost is a dark brown, almost black soillike layer that you’ll find at the bottom of your bin. It has a spongy texture and is rich in nutrients. Some bins have a small hatch at the bottom that you can remove to get at the finished product,but sometimes it’s even easier to lift the bin or to tip it over to get at your compost.
(c) 2007 Coventry Evening Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.