Don't let Devon go to waste

	COMPOSTING
	Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting your organic waste will help to reduce the thousands of tonnes of rubbish that is buried in Devon every year. Click on the links below to find out more about how and where to compost: Composting Basics Home Composting Community Composting Kerbside Collections of organic waste (e.g. kitchen, cardboard and garden waste) Recycling Centres Useful Links
	Composting Schools Presentations Devon's schools were invited to design web pages or make videos showing how easy it is to turn kitchen scraps and garden waste into top quality compost for the garden. We had a fantastic responce to our composting competition and it was a tough decision for our judges. But after many late nights and lots of coffee they've managed to select the winning three. The competition was organised by Devon County Council and the Environment Agency on behalf of the Devon Organic Waste Working Group. The Environment Agency sponsored the top prize of £1,000 and the County Council sponsored second (£200) and third (£100) prizes. 1st prize: The Clinton Church of England Primary School The word is 'compost' for the young rappers from The Clinton C of E Primary School, Okehampton. They're keeping it real and breaking it down all in the name of the environment. Click to view entry 16mb Media player required. 2nd prize: Halwill County Primary School With a little help from some friendly bacteria Halwill County Primary tell us how we can have a healthy garden just like theirs. Not available for download. 3rd prize St Rumon's Church of England Infants School The 6-7 year olds of St Rumon's C.E. Infants School, Tavistock have had great fun putting together a photographic presentation with soundtrack. Click to view entry 1mb Flash plugin required.
	HOME COMPOSTING Home composting is one of the most effective actions you can personally take to help your planet. You will reduce your waste; reduce air pollution by not having bonfires; reduce the need to water your garden; increase your plant growth and health, by replacing the need to use polluting and toxic chemical fertilisers and pesticides. You can use your compost and leaf mould in potting mixtures and so replace the need to use peat from fast-disappearing peat bogs. More than one third of your dustbin could be recycled into compost. Why not recycle your grass clippings, hedge prunings and leaves along with your kitchen left-overs such as tea bags, egg shells, vegetable and fruit peelings to make a rich organic compost to use in your garden. Trees, earthworms, butterflies and other flora and fauna will be thankful for your composting achievements. Help to reduce the thousands of tonnes of waste that go to landfill sites in Devon every year by "doing your bit".
	SPECIAL OFFERS… Devon's Local Authorities are running special offers on compost bins and wormeries to make it cheaper and easier for householders to start composting. Some authorities are even offering composting clinics and home composting books to help householders get to grips with the basics of backyard composting. Check out the details below to find out what's on offer near you:
	COMPOSTING BINS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM… Select your local authority and click "search" to find out about composting tools available in your area:
	COMPOSTING BASICS Your compost should be composed of as large a variety of materials as possible. It's especially important to get the carbon to nitrogen ratio right (C : N). Nitrogen is found in soft, green, sappy growth, like grass cuttings. It's also very high in fresh manures. Carbon is in tougher, drier materials, like straw, hay, plant stems and is highest of all in sawdust and wood chips. All the materials must be wet. Water the heap as you build it, not after it's made. Mix the different materials up as much as you can. The easiest way to do that is to make layers, don't make thick layers of any one material, especially not fresh grass cuttings as they quickly reduce to a slimy mess. Small amounts of soil help to introduce beneficial bacteria, a thin dusting (not more) throughout are a good idea. Larger amounts of a previous compost or manure heap can be added, again these will help inoculate' the heap with beneficial organisms. Very tough materials, like branches, will eventually break down, given time, in a compost pile, so they either need a special long term heap, or they need to have their surface area greatly increased by crushing, chipping or shredding. Big heaps do not need a container but it will help to keep your compost tidy and insulated. Heaps must be covered to stop them drying out or being over saturated with rainwater, which leaches out nutrients and cools down the heap. If you exclude really tough materials you can make compost in as little as six weeks but why hurry? Six months is probably more realistic. Compost activators are not really needed. However any available manure can be added and urine is the cheapest and probably the most effective! Click here for a FREE copy of "Composting for All".
	COMMUNITY COMPOSTING There are over 25 Community Composting Schemes across Devon collecting and composting garden waste from their local community. These schemes are set up and run by local volunteers with assistance from their local Council. Devon has more Community Composting projects than any other County. This is due in great part to a unique partnership between the District/Unitary Councils and the County Council. Moneys raised from the recycling banks in the County go towards community recycling and composting projects and other recycling initiatives. The first community composting group was set up in 1992, officially launched in March 1993. Recycling credits are paid for finished compost, a 25 kilo sack is deemed to be equivalent to 40 kilos of the raw material, before it was composted. Thus twenty five 25 kilo sacks equals one tonne (25 times 40 = 1,000 kilos = One tonne). The amount actually paid varies from district to district but helps to core fund each project. This way instead of relying on voluntary input forever the schemes can pay volunteers to do the work, or the money can be spent on improvements etc. For free advice on setting up a community composting project, please contact the Devon Community Composting Co-ordinator on 01647 432880
	KERBSIDE COLLECTIONS Many of Devon’s local Authorities are rolling our kerbside collections for organic waste such as garden waste, cardboard, and in some cases, kitchen waste such vegetable peelings, old tea bags, and kitchen scraps. Below are a few common questions and answers, but to find out more about your local council kerbside collection services, please click on your local authority below: East Devon Exeter Mid Devon North Devon Plymouth South Hams Teignbridge Torbay Torridge West Devon Q. Why is my local council collecting organic waste separately? Doesn’t it rot down naturally anyway? A. After your dustbin is taken away, it gets compressed and buried in the ground at a landfill site. At the moment, about one-third of the waste we bury is organic (food and garden waste). As this rots down in the landfill site it releases leachate (polluting liquids) and methane gas, which is thought to contribute to global warming. It is much better to compost this waste, which breaks down without causing so much pollution. It also turns your waste into s useful product. Q. What happens to the organic waste after it is collected? A. If your local council only collects garden waste, it is taken to various locations around the district to be shredded, it is then taken to nearby farms to be composted and used on the farmers land. If your local council is also collecting kitchen waste, such as vegetable peelings, tea bags and food scraps, it will be composted in an enclosed composting facility and used as a soil conditioner for land restoration and agriculture.
	COMPOSTING AT YOUR LOCAL RECYCLING CENTRE If you haven't got room to compost at home, you can participate in composting at your local recycling centre. Click here to find out where.
	USEFUL LINKS
	Compost Resource Page Excellent site with everything from compost poetry to good discussion forums. Henry Doubleday Research Association Excellent fact-sheets can be downloaded Master Composter Fascinating site with lively bulletin boards Original Organics Organic growth Royal Horticultural Society Lots of useful gardening information Soil Association For useful information on gardening Westcountry Worms Everything you ever wanted to know about worm farming, but were afraid to ask!

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