Community Composting Courses

Launch of Community Composting Training Programme

Deal With It are having a look at this for 2013 - if you would be interest in becoming a 'composting ranger in Deal' please drop us a line at food@dealwithit.org

Free community composting courses for growers of Local Food will soon be taking place across England. The courses which will be running during October and November are aimed at local not for profit organisations, community groups and social enterprises which are growing local fruit and vegetables and which wish to develop new or existing composting activity at their own sites. 

The free training places are limited to ten per course and priority will be given to groups sending more than one person along to all three days of the training so that the new composting practices are well embedded in the trainees’ organisations. The trainees are helped to put their learning into practice with ongoing specific support to individual groups and loans of composting machinery and equipment. Further support is provided in the form of six months’ free membership of the Community Composting Network and information resources and a follow-up local networking and activity workshop at each of the twelve Community Composting Hubs.

The project was set up by the Community Composting Network with funding from the Big Lottery Local Food programme and is part of a plan to establish ‘hubs’ throughout England. These hubs will work together to become the country’s leading provider of composting support.

Dover District Council offer discount water butts & Composters

DDC have re-launched their discount home compost and water butt scheme.

Some good bargains on composters and water butts especially if you buy several (they have buy one get another 1/2 free deal).

This offer is welcomed by Deal With IT as it is the sort of thing our council should be doing to promote growing your own and conserving water. Especially so with water issues we are going to face this year and the new charges for garden waste collection the council are introducing in April.



"Dover District Council has teamed up with evengreener.com to offer residents home composting bins and water butts at bargain prices!

To order a reduced priced compost bin, water butt or accessories please telephone 0844 571 4444.
To order on line or view the compost bins, water butts and accessories available visit www.dover.getcomposting.com."

Get Composting!

When you remove flowers from your garden, mow the grass, or prune a bush, valuable organic matter is lost. Composting replaces it, at no cost.

 

Improve your garden, reduce waste sent to landfill sites
Compost can be used as a substitute for manures and fertilisers, improving the structure and health of the soil, making it more fertile.

Composting also reduces the amount of rubbish taken to landfill sites and reduces the cost to householders of dealing with waste disposal.

Organic waste is biodegradable - when it is buried in landfill sites it rots and produces methane gas, which can escape into buildings near landfill sites and lead to explosions.

Where is the best place to put a compost bin?

It is essential that you keep your compost bin warm and moist. It's best if you place the bin in the sun and out of the wind, on well drained soil.

To improve drainage and increase access for worms and bacteria, loosen the soil below the bin.

Place a few inches of kitchen waste on the soil at the bottom of the bin. This will attract worms and bacteria to the bin and increase the rate of compost formation.

For best results, organic waste should be put in the bin in layers of different material between 6-12 cm deep.

Ensure you always put the lid on your compost bin and do not let the compost dry out.
What you can put in your composter

You can compost almost anything that is organic (anything that has been grown). This includes:

• fruit and vegetable scraps
• tea bags, coffee grounds
• crushed egg shells
• grass cuttings, prunings and leaves
• small amounts of shredded paper and soft cardboard
• animal hair
• vacuum dust (only if you have woollen carpets).

The following can not be put into your composter

• cat or dog excrement
• meat
• cheeses
• fish
• disposable nappies
• shiny card
• hard objects.

For best results, ensure your compost bin contains some grass cuttings or vegetarian animal manure. They heat up and speed up the composting process. However they should be mixed with other organic waste to avoid slime formation.

To ensure that air is getting to the centre of the bin, turn the material regularly. This will also speed up the decomposition process.

How do you know when the compost is ready?

Your compost is ready for use when the material does not resemble anything that you put in the bin.

Collect the compost from the small hatch at the bottom of the bin. The compost can then be spread on the garden where it will act as a fertiliser.

More info at http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/index.html