Wise up for Compost Week!

30 April 2008

Bedfordshire County Council’s recycling team is encouraging residents to compost by holding a series of events during International Compost Awareness Week (4 -10 May). The theme of Compost Awareness Week is to ‘Green up the Environment!’

Bedfordshire County Council’s Recycling Officer Linda Rodell said: "Currently over 15% of all household waste produced in Bedfordshire is composted. We are keen to help more Bedfordshire residents to compost by using their kerbside garden waste collection, Household Waste Recycling Centre or by home composting. Composting reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill and is great for the garden and plants".

To thank residents, the first 200 visitors taking garden waste to any of Bedfordshire County Council’s five Household Waste Recycling Centres (during Compost Awareness Week) will be able to take away a free bag of Bedfordhire compost and a large reusable polypropylene bag. The compost was made from garden waste collected in Bedfordshire last year and the bag will help them collect up garden waste in the future and transport it to the Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Residents can learn more about composting at the following events:

• Tuesday 6 May- Bedford & Dunstable Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Tuesday 6 May - Harpur Square
• Wednesday 7 May- Biggleswade & Ampthill Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Thursday 8 May- Leighton Buzzard & Bedford Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Friday 9 May- Ampthill & Dunstable Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Saturday 10 May & Sun 11 May 2008- Stotfold Mill Steam Fayre

Bedfordshire County Councillor Tom Wootton, Cabinet Member for Waste said: "Home composting is still one of the best ways to help the environment on a daily basis and provides a free, nutrient rich fertiliser for your garden.

"It is something that can be quickly incorporated into your regular kitchen and garden routines. People can put additional things into a home compost bin which they can't put into the kerbside collection such as scrunched up cardboard, teabags, egg shells, fruit, vegetable peelings and coffee granules - even shredded paper."

For further information on recycling and composting, call Bedfordshire County Council on 01234 228385

There are five Household Waste Recycling Centres in Bedfordshire

• Ampthill, Abbey Lane (01525) 403611
• Bedford, Barkers Lane (01234) 354917
• Biggleswade, Bells Brook (01767) 313684
• Dunstable, Frenchs Avenue (01582) 609212
• Leighton Buzzard, Shenley Hill Road (01525 371619

 ENDS