The council did it for years near us, every six months - offering the composted product of green waste collections for free. It was pretty poor stuff, loads of plastic in it, to the extent that the soil smelt of burnt plastic for months. I hadn't heard of jkw turning up or the like.
I think it was our local community that organised it - commandeered a car park for the day. It was very popular (people went a bit frenzied, as they do when something's free). We needed dozens of stewards to direct the cars and the people and to stop fights breaking out. I think maybe the well-connected local organiser stepped down and nobody else stepped up.
As ever, it's the kind of project that everyone is keen to grab from, but few want to give the time to make it happen. It would be worth seeing if it's possible to re-start. Bunny Guiness is a champion of green waste compost and uses it - most of the soil improver in her own gardens comes from that source.
The Council have this scheme here too. We got a load delivered 20 years ago and I am still picking out bits of glass!! Unfortunately, they use ground glass in it.
They used to do that in Liverpool, and it was good quality, but unfortunately they stopped doing it several years ago. I guess that they decided to sell it instead.
I have used green waste in the past without any problems. I did, however, hear a few horror stories (true or not? - don't know) of 'things' introduced to customers' gardens.
I'm pretty sure our local green waste scheme is hot composted and possibly steam sterilized as well - but it's not free (about £2 a bag I think).
I make a lot of homemade compost and know that I only put stuff in our garden waste bin that I don't want in my home compost bin. That's why I'm now wary of buying the council green waste...
@Jenny_Aster. Good luck with getting a compost bin - ideally you'd have at least 2 - one to fill while the other is cooking / being emptied... Is there somewhere in your garden where you can hide them (ie screen them off) bearing in mind you need room to work around them shovelling out compost etc?
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
@Jenny_Aster. Good luck with getting a compost bin - ideally you'd have at least 2 - one to fill while the other is cooking / being emptied... Is there somewhere in your garden where you can hide them (ie screen them off) bearing in mind you need room to work around them shovelling out compost etc?
Yesterday I bought one, it's not ideal. Our garden is new and I'm hoping when beds have been made and plants planted there'll be a corner that will naturally turn into a compost area, but for now the plastic compost bin will have to suffice. Presently my new wormery isn't doing much, and I'm filling a 'bag-for-life' with kitchen vegetable and fruit waste.
It's always difficult when you have a blank canvas @Jenny_Aster, simply because you don't have a lot of vegetation to stick in a bin to start off with. Until you get permanent planting in place, some pots of annuals will give you a good wad of material for the end of the summer and into autumn. I'm always surprised at how much I have from the sweet peas alone. I have loads of peelings from veg because of the regular soup making, plus egg shells and banana skins etc. It's surprising how much that creates isn't it?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You're right @Fairygirl, there isn't much material for home made compost only the bits from the kitchen at present. Although I seem to be having a lot of cardboard at the moment, I leave that out in the rain then I've been 'squishing' it up for potential compost.
I've seen vids where people have recommended burying uncomposted stuff next to plants - not sure how long it would take for the stuff to breakdown though.
I don't think I'd want to bury stuff if it wasn't composted properly, or was far enough on that you wouldn't get weeds. I suppose it depends how deep you bury it, but there's a big assumption you have large enough gaps between plants to do that...and no bulbs in there
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My old neighbour used to dig her bean trench in the autumn, chuck the fruit and veg peelings in there all winter and early spring (without covering) then cover it with soil around the end of April and plant the beans in about late May. I never looked closely enough to see how fast it rotted down, but the bean plants did extremely well, which is no mean feat on our dry sandy pebbly soil. You could try burying your kitchen peelings where you're not going to plant until summer.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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I'm pretty sure our local green waste scheme is hot composted and possibly steam sterilized as well - but it's not free (about £2 a bag I think).
I make a lot of homemade compost and know that I only put stuff in our garden waste bin that I don't want in my home compost bin. That's why I'm now wary of buying the council green waste...
@Jenny_Aster. Good luck with getting a compost bin - ideally you'd have at least 2 - one to fill while the other is cooking / being emptied... Is there somewhere in your garden where you can hide them (ie screen them off) bearing in mind you need room to work around them shovelling out compost etc?
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
I have loads of peelings from veg because of the regular soup making, plus egg shells and banana skins etc. It's surprising how much that creates isn't it?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've seen vids where people have recommended burying uncomposted stuff next to plants - not sure how long it would take for the stuff to breakdown though.
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
I suppose it depends how deep you bury it, but there's a big assumption you have large enough gaps between plants to do that...and no bulbs in there
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...