Have a cracking Pancake Day with compost
Pancake Day is looming and many people in Warwickshire will be looking forward to an evening of tasty treats, but many will not realise that it can also prove bountiful for your compost bin.
Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the day when we cook up all the types of food that should be given up for Lent – making use of food that would otherwise be wasted. So what better way of marking the occasion than giving your kitchen waste a new lease of life too – in the compost bin.
Up to one third of all household waste can be composted rather than sent to landfill, so just imagine the difference you can make by doing a little bit every day.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “When organic matter is sent to landfill, it gets trapped under other waste and decomposes without oxygen. This results in the production of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. When it breaks down in the compost bin, no methane is produced, which is good news for the environment.
“One third of a household’s waste can be composted, so by simply improving our kitchen habits we can help divert organic waste from landfill and limit the damage we do to the environment.”
Crushed eggshells are rich in nutrients and along with the rest of the organic waste will help to create a rich, natural fertiliser for your garden. Even the cardboard egg box itself can be torn up and added to the compost, providing a rich source of carbon and fibre.
It is important to include these ‘brown’ ingredients as well as the traditional ‘greens’ like grass cuttings, in order to achieve the right environment for the good bacteria to get to work.
And it doesn’t stop there. When you have tossed your perfect pancake and added the finishing touches such as sugar and lemon juice, don’t forget the lemon peelings will add valuable nutrients to your compost – but be careful to add citrus fruits in moderation to avoid creating very acidic compost. You can even roll slices of banana, apple or orange into your pancake – their skins and peelings can be composted too. And if you fancy making some savoury pancakes for dinner, any uncooked vegetable peelings will be a welcome addition to your compost mix.
And remember that from April 2008, the funding Warwickshire County Council receives will be dramatically reduced and prices of compost bins could increase by more than 100%, doubling current prices.
Order your bin now ready for the Spring. 220 litre bins can be purchased for just £8 or the larger 330 litre bins for just £10 including free delivery. A maximum of three bins can be ordered per household
Order online by visiting http://www.recyclenow.com/compost or call 0845 077 0757 quoting reference HCA1.
For more information on WRAP’s love food hate waste campaign visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com