It is that time of year again---Free Compost Day. You may remember that the council here provides free compost for those gardeners that want some for their gardens. We just have to come and pick it up, they provide the rest. Some folks come to the depot with little trailers to receive it in. Woah--just look at that steam coming off the compost! It is nice and fresh and it was warm to the touch when we were filling our bags on a grey and cold day. It was being dug out of this "mountain"...a close-up foto shows just how hot it was. it sort of looks like a volcano doesn't it? We took a gardening neighbour with us to help, as she wanted some compost for herself. She is getting stuck-in...not bad for a 70 plus senior citizen, eh? We took our own shovels and bags, but they provided their own shovels and super-tough, large plastic sacks for the compost, they are in the cardboard boxes on the piccy. You can see the bags sticking up out of our green plastic trugs. I was thankful for those, as I can use the tough bags for several years. We made two trips and transported 24 sacks of compost in total. I am not ashamed to say that I can feel it in my hands and wrists...my neck, shoulders and back.....my back bum and thighs. Lets see now, is there any part that I forgot about...... Its the same ole story every spring--those muscles that were not used so much during the winter get an over-taxing all in one day. I never learn.
We have the same sort of free compost day here each April Sjoerd, and it will be on April 23rd this year. They ask for a donation to the local food bank.They also have composters available for sale, and give away paper bags for leaf and yard waste collection. It is usually lovely stuff! We are not so lucky to have it loaded for us ... every one has to shovel their own!
Well MART-- I think that my tootsies are probably the only things that do not ache ...the ankles are `present` though. I just lurve these compost days. NETTY--That is so good to hear that other places have this sort of day. We had to shovel our own compost too...just the auto´s with trailers got it loaded for them. I must say that I am deeply impressed with the asking of the takers to donate something to the local Food Bank. As you know, I collect and give fresh veg to the Food Bank here. Capital idea. A question-- When folks use these free paper bags and fill them with yard waste and leaves. What do they then do with the full bags? Are they picked up by the Council folks?
Wow, what a great idea! It costs me £12.00 for a 60 litre bag here. That free compost is just as I like it, dark. K
You know Kate, if you folks separate your waste types...there may well be the possibility to get some there--if not free, them for a low cost. It may be worth a fone call to your local council to find out if they have any and how you can get some. I do not know what part of the UK you live in otherwise I could have helped you look. There is a UK website that you may find interesting-- http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/municipal-compost-is-it-a-good-thing/ Just scroll down to the heading, ` How to get hold of it`. Perhaps this will help.
I have four bins Sjoerd; blue for paper and cardboard and carton. Brown for tins and food trays. Green for garden waste. .Blue for general household. No; no one here will ever get free compost; they even threw away a Date Palm and it looked really nice in the flower bed...never appeared again. They are big on flowers though so you see flowers everywhere. Even if they did give compost I have no transport as a new person here it takes a while for your neighbours to even connect with you. I just looked and our council has several options how to get free.. Ask for a compost bin and make your own. here is a park with the Dwarf Palm. Three Palms Primulas Adult Park because we have a child park across from it.
Those piccies are a feast for the eyes. I am a big supporter of municipal planting schemes. The municipal suggestion wasn´t really what I had in mind. Are they ´avin a laugh?! chuckle. Were any of there other suggestions helpful to you?
I was salivating when I read it Sjoerd. Oh wow!!! It is just fantastic and I will surely be there to get some for my starving garden. "Big SIGH" ... it will never happen here . Netty with all that compost, I would donate part of my harvest every time!
No free compost for us here but there is nursery that sells it by the yard and loads it in your trailer. It's not near as expensive as buying by the bag. The food bank is located too far away for us to donate to them but we do take all extras and donate them to the Senior Center. They provide extremely low cost meal to our seniors and even deliver to those that are unable to attend.
We have an extensive recycling program here ... large blue bins for plastic and glass, small blue bins for paper and cardboard, and green bins for kitchen waste all of which are picked up once a week by the region. Several times a year, they have special collections for yard waste ... leaves, twigs etc and these are the things used for the paper bags. They also pick up Christmas trees the first week of January for composting. These 'Compost Giveaway's' are the result of all the compost picked up throughout the year, a way to thank folks for the effort they put in when they sort their waste.
Glad you liked the foto's KK--We are lucky to have access to that compost. I used some today already. What a pity that you can't get any there. 2OF--That sounds like a good scheme you guys have there. It sounds like a good thing to do...donating extras to a Senior Centre. I know those folks really appreciate that. It is great that that there is the infrastructure to do all that for your Seniors...especially taking things to the Seniors that are housebound for whatever reason. That is a very social thing to do.It warms my heart when I read about folks doing social things for others. NETTY-- it sounds like your system is pretty much the same as ours. I guess that someone then comes around and picks up the paper bags full of green waste then? That is good, isn't it.
