Waste Management and Recycling

Why Compost

Composting is a significant way to reduce the mountains of waste sent to landill.

Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic material such as grass and tree cuttings, plant material, vegetable peelings and waste food to produce a stable material containing organic matter and plant nutrients.

There are often benefits in applying this material to land, including nutrient addition, improved soil structure and improved water retention. Increasingly sophisticated composting technologies are available that will enable large volumes of organic waste to be diverted from landfill.

Around 238,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste are produced from households, commercial premises and street cleansing in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway each year.

Around 209,000 tonnes of this is household waste, about 0.9 tonnes per household per year. Almost all of this waste is disposed of in landfill sites at present.

Landfilling can contribute to global warming and can result in deterioration of the environment.

We need to change the way we deal with our waste by reducing, re-using and recycling more.

One of the best ways the householder can achieve this is by composting at home.

Download the Home Composting E-Zine (174KB)