Our local council has been running a garden waste collection system for
some time, and has recently started making the compost therefrom
available for collection. I like the idea of free compost, but I'm a
little worried about whether I'll end up inflicting someone else's nasty
plant diseases on my garden if I use it. Is there much chance of that
happening, or is there some sort of regulation about sterilising compost?

Rhiannon

Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Our local council has been running a garden waste collection system for
some time, and has recently started making the compost therefrom
available for collection. I like the idea of free compost, but I'm a
little worried about whether I'll end up inflicting someone else's nasty
plant diseases on my garden if I use it. Is there much chance of that
happening, or is there some sort of regulation about sterilising compost?

Like you at first I was worried. When our green bins arrived at our
door step I saw many horrors ending up in them and when the compost was
for sale I worried. The green waste is heated to such a temperature it
kills off any pathogene. I beleive it is really safe. Tons upon tons
are being used in parks, gardens and HDRA is even making experiments
with farmers. Check this link to reassure yourself and find out where
your compost is being 'made'.

http://www.recycle.mcmail.com/green.htm

In France this is done everywhere. They take all your green waste and
compost and then you can just go down to the local tip and collect as
much compost as you want.

I think it's an excellent idea and would probably work well over here.
Free compost for all just think of it

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
news : Our local council has been running a garden waste collection system for
: some time, and has recently started making the compost therefrom
: available for collection. I like the idea of free compost, but I'm a
: little worried about whether I'll end up inflicting someone else's nasty
: plant diseases on my garden if I use it. Is there much chance of that
: happening, or is there some sort of regulation about sterilising compost?
:
: Rhiannon

We use it in Plymouth, seems to do a good job, £10 for a large trailer.

On Thu, 16 Feb 2006 18:59:34 +0000, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:

Our local council has been running a garden waste collection system for
some time, and has recently started making the compost therefrom
available for collection. I like the idea of free compost, but I'm a
little worried about whether I'll end up inflicting someone else's nasty
plant diseases on my garden if I use it. Is there much chance of that
happening, or is there some sort of regulation about sterilising compost?

Rhiannon

A properly made 'hot' compost heap gets pretty hot. I know from my own
experience with leylandii shreddings that a heap of them rapidly gets
too hot to put your hand into (i.e. in a couple of days). So I would
expect most pathogens to be killed off.

Down here in west Cornwall, our local council collects green waste. A
local farmer does all the shredding and composting, and spreads the
result on his fields. Who pays whom, I don't know. The council say
they would love to sell it to local gardeners, but aren't allowed to,
because the farmer adds 'slurry' to it from his cows, to act as an
accelerator in the composting process. Apparently, since the foot and
mouth epidemic, bureaucracy has gone berserk and DEFRA won't allow
distribution of the stuff to the general public until it's been
confirmed that the composting process renders it sterile.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Chris Hogg wrote:

Apparently, since the foot and
mouth epidemic, bureaucracy has gone berserk and DEFRA won't allow
distribution of the stuff to the general public until it's been
confirmed that the composting process renders it sterile.


I've looked into what the council are up to a little more now, and
apparently in areas down the road from me they're trialling a
landfill-avoidance scheme, part of which involves kitchen and food waste
(including meat and fish) going into the same bin as the garden waste
for collection and central composting. Presumably this is still the
same stuff that they're offering to us lot, so I would imagine it must
pass some pretty stringent tests… mustn't it?

Rhiannon

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...
Chris Hogg wrote:

Apparently, since the foot and
mouth epidemic, bureaucracy has gone berserk and DEFRA won't allow
distribution of the stuff to the general public until it's been
confirmed that the composting process renders it sterile.

I've looked into what the council are up to a little more now, and
apparently in areas down the road from me they're trialling a
landfill-avoidance scheme, part of which involves kitchen and food waste
(including meat and fish) going into the same bin as the garden waste for
collection and central composting. Presumably this is still the same
stuff that they're offering to us lot, so I would imagine it must pass
some pretty stringent tests… mustn't it?

Rhiannon

The link given by La Puce did contain details of a certification scheme that
ensured the compost was pathogen free and details of it's composition.
Unless the material has some type of accreditation then I would stay clear
and register a protest with your local council.

On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 20:34:16 +0000, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:

Apparently, since the foot and
mouth epidemic, bureaucracy has gone berserk and DEFRA won't allow
distribution of the stuff to the general public until it's been
confirmed that the composting process renders it sterile.


I've looked into what the council are up to a little more now, and
apparently in areas down the road from me they're trialling a
landfill-avoidance scheme, part of which involves kitchen and food waste
(including meat and fish) going into the same bin as the garden waste
for collection and central composting. Presumably this is still the
same stuff that they're offering to us lot, so I would imagine it must
pass some pretty stringent tests… mustn't it?

Rhiannon

I don't know about putrescible (?sp) household waste. My understanding
of the delay here was because it was farm waste that was being added
(liquid cow manure), and could contain cattle diseases that DEFRA (or
anyone else) wouldn't want being inadvertently spread around the
countryside by gardeners.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net