Topic: compost from the tip

[southernsteve]

Our council give the allotments piles of free compost to use. However I went to start using it the other day only to find it full of bindweed. Thankfully I had only used one barrow load, although this is more than enough. Nice gesture, but you really need to be carefull. The cheapest compost I have found round here is 5 75ltr bags for £10 or £2.50 a bag.

[triffid]

Yep, council compost can be a bit of a Trojan horse ...  or at the very least a curate's egg  :)

In the past I used to buy from one of the companies that processes our council's brown-bin-waste. Gave up -- stones, glass, bits of charred bedsprings were just some of the joys. But it did get too hot during the processing for seeds and weed roots to survive.

I've been hearing that they've got better re the non-organic additions (bedsprings and glass not appearing anywhere in my reference sources as recommended growing materials) so I might try them again.

It may well be worth asking around your area to see if similar companies exist, southernsteve.

[manicscousers]

we've now found we can get, free of charge, wood chippings from one of our tips, just take bags along 'n' fill them up, so that's next week's job, when we drop off the plastic bottles we've collected  :)

[caroline7758]

Last time I asked Selby council, they said the green waste goes to local farmers. They sell bags of soil improver but I think it's about £2 for a not very big bag.
Unfortunately our allotments are run by the town council rather than the district and they do nothing except cut the outside of the hedges occasionally, and we don't have a society, it's everyone for him/herself!

[Si]

Had a chat with a few Environment Agency guys at a composting project in Snowdonia. They reckon that most councils can't get rid of compost and will give you as much as you want. I know that farmers can't use it because it holds fewer nutrients than plain soil.

[MattyJC]

My local council (vale of white horse) want you to recycle stuff, but wont reply to emails regarding getting compost, or replace the recycling box when it goes missing...typical council me thinks :-(

Maybe one day I shall find out where all that plant waste goes too and I may get my hands on some!!

Regards

Matt

[flytrapman]

Hi Manic
I get the chippings delivered if the tree gangs are working in the local area, if you need any horse manure delivered or want a tel No for the tree gangs either send me a message or a email & I will sort it
Phil

[manicscousers]

where are you, phil ?