Topic: My rant

[barrowbob]

Just spent 3-4 weeks putting in my raised beds (and pleased with the way they're looking) and decided to put weed cover cloth down on the paths and cover it with bark chippings.  There's not much difference in price between the local garden centre and B & Q for bark but I just cannot get my head around why a bag of waste product from a sawmill - for that's what it is, the bark stripped from logs before going into the saw - costs a load more than a bag of compost.  Can't be in the packaging because they're both compacted into poly bags and I can't imagine the transport costs are different.
Anyone throw any light on it?  ??? ???

[katynewbie]

 ???

Makes no sense to me either. Have you thought of asking your local council if they sell it? They clear trees and stuff all the time, and I know some councils sell it at a nominal rate. Maybe worth a try?

[djbrenton]

If you phone local landscaping companies you'll find they have problems disposing of the stuff. Obviously this isn't the time of year but from Autumn to Spring they'll probably happily drop it at your site. You may even find ( as we have) that the local landscapers have mounds of the stuff they're glad for you to collect.

Oh yes, and the reason it costs so much is simply that people will pay.

[Mimi]

The reason that they do it is ........that they can!!! and people will always pay money for it.  I go to my local timber yard (they make fencing posts for the local farmers) and buy a trailer load for £6.  Ok there is a bit more wood than bark in it but after a year you cant tell the difference.

[MrsKP]

i must have spent over £100 on the stuff this year and it's because i knew where to get it from (B&Q) ....... next year i'll do things different.

[jeanaustin]

We have two companies of 'tree surgeons' who drop off a trailer load of bark chippings onto our allotments from time to time when they are working in our area.  Our gates are kept locked so they each have a key and they usually give us a phone call to say when they'll be delivering. We have a designated area to compound chippings and they tip nearby.  We found them by seeing them cutting down mature trees nearby, asked if we could have the chippings and they were delighted to get rid of them locally. We ask our plot holders who come and take the chippings for a donation of 50p for a large barrow load - the money raised going to the charities we support (this year its our local Hospice).  We don't have chippings available in our compound all the time but when we do, we put a notice on our notice board saying they are available.  This year, since February, we've had five loads and there will possibly be another load this week.
This works very well for us.

[barrowbob]

Thanks everyone, once I get the next bit cleared and sorted out I'll be avoiding B & Q etc and look for it locally (and cheaper). 8)