This article appeared in the South Manchester Reporter, June 2006.
It’s Your Shout : I Dig Compost
World Environment Day is looming (5 June), and for most people the day, as with most awareness-raising dates in the calendar, will just pass them by.
Mind you, thinking about the environment for just one day in the year is pretty pointless anyway if we are to minimise environmental, climate-changing impacts
However, we can all make so many positive environment-enhancing contributions on a daily basis, without resorting to a complete lifestyle change like living off lentils and peddling our own power.
Composting is a fine example.
Many of us blindly chuck away the raw ingredients for a good compost.
Imagine how many fruit and veg peelings, egg shells, egg boxes, paper bags, tea bags we throw away every year. Combine this with garden waste and we’re talking about a fair amount of rubbish that could be so easily diverted towards a more sustainable and environmental waste solution.
On average, each person in the UK throws away seven times his or her body weight (about 500kgs) in these materials every year.
The council naturally comes and collects it.
However, the less rubbish we put out (and put in the compost bin instead), the lower the number of transportation trips the rubbish wagons have to make.
This means less fuel usage, less carbon dioxide emissions, less pollution on our streets, less waste going to landfill and incineration and less carbon dioxide emitted into the higher atmosphere.
And all because we’ve decided to put some of our rubbish in a green composting bin, rather than a black wheelie bin.
It’s so simple it hurts wondering why more people aren’t doing it.
Alone, composting isn’t going to solve our pressing global environmental problems, but it’s a contribution.
But, localised environmental benefits will be felt.
And those with gardens will see them flourish; those with allotments will see better produce.
Not everybody has the space for a compost bin, nor the garden to use it.
But those that do are crazy for not composting.
Compost is full of nutrients for the soil, allowing for a reduction in fertiliser and promoting faster growing, healthier plants.
It also helps to retain moisture, particularly in light (sandy) soils, thereby minimising watering needs.
Because we pay our council taxes, we seem on the whole, to abdicate personal responsibility when it comes to waste issues.
Once we’re rid of the rubbish and it’s no longer cluttering our homes, we no longer give it a second thought.
Maybe we should.
The UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year. This rate of rubbish generation would fill the Albert Hall in London in less than 2 hours.
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is focused on ways of making cities more environmentally friendly and resource efficient.
Give composting a whirl…and let’s stick with it.
Composting bins can be purchased at a reduced price from the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) website. Visit the WRAP site for details.
