Get composting…and make free food for your garden.

Surrey residents are being encouraged to help reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and save themselves money, by producing free compost for their gardens.

Out of a total 536,000 tonnes of household waste currently produced in Surrey each year, it’s estimated that around a third could be composted. To incentivise residents to start, the Surrey Waste Partnership (Surrey County Council working together with the 11 district and boroughs in the county) is running a countywide scheme, offering home composting bins at reduced prices – from £14.00 (RRP £39.00).

I would be very grateful if you would consider promoting the campaign at your school - to staff and parents if possible. I can happily send posters and fliers to display (please see attached). I have also attached some general copy to composting; it would be wonderful if you could add something to any school newsletters going out to parents.

If you would like to know more about the campaign or require copies of materials or more information, please contact Felicity Stanbridge on 020 8541 8751.

Many thanks

Felicity Stanbridge
Publicity Officer
020 8541 8751

Garden Waste Compost (Adobe Acrobat Document)

 

Composting is a natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden, for free. Your garden doesn’t have to be big to start composting at home - simply provide the right ingredients and let nature do the rest.

The Surrey Waste Partnership (Surrey County Council working together with the 11 district and borough councils in the county) is offering home composting bins at fantastic prices, starting from £14.00 (RRP £39.00).

Did you know 1/3 of your household waste could be used for composting?

Compost recipe:

Kitchen waste includes:
- Cereal packets and egg boxes
- Fruit scraps, vegetable peelings and salad leaves
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Vacuum bag contents
- Vegetarian pet bedding

Garden waste includes:
- Old flowers and nettles
- Wood chippings and straw
- Twigs and dried leaves

Mix both kitchen and garden waste together, and over a 9-12 month period, you will have compost.

Benefits:

Saves you money:
- By not having to buy compost.
- Because it is organic and reduces the need for other garden products.

Boost your garden by:
- Keep plants healthy.
- Feeding your lawn and enriching borders.
- Nourishing flowerbeds and vegetable patches

Helps our environment:
- Because home made compost produces ‘peat-free’ compost. This eradicates the need to buy peat products, which have been commercially sourced and extracted from peat bogs, resulting in the release of stored carbon from the bogs.
- By putting less household waste out for collection, less energy is required as there are fewer waste pick-up trucks,
- waste handling processes involved, and also less waste going to landfill.

Once you start, you’ll be surprised to see just how much waste in your kitchen bin and garden bin reduces by – simply by putting suitable waste items into the compost bin instead.

To buy a bin or to dig up more advice on how to turn your table scraps and garden waste into compost, visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/getcomposting
or call 0844 571 4444.

To buy a bin or to dig up more advice on how to turn your table scraps and garden waste into compost, visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/getcomposting
or call 0844 571 4444.