Think compost when things wilt after Valentine’s Day
As the flowers begin to wilt from the flury of buying from loved-up Warwickshire residents last week on Valentine's Day, a call is going out to think compost.
Warwickshire County Council is supporting a call from national recycling campaign Recycle Now in urging residents to join the green revolution this Valentine’s Day – by home composting flowers.
Valentine’s Day saw average sales of fresh flowers in Warwickshire double* - creating a lot of organic waste that could be put to good use in compost bins across the area.
Lynne Gunn, Campaign Manager for the Recycle Now Compost at Home Campaign, said: “On Valentine’s Day 2007, more than 40 million red roses were given in the UK*, so this is clearly one time of the year when we all show our love for each other – but why not take a moment to spare a thought for the environment too?”
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Many people ask ‘Why home compost?’. Well, home composting diverts waste from landfill sites. In landfill, waste breaks down without oxygen and gives off the harmful greenhouse gas methane. When composted at home, the same waste breaks down with oxygen, and as a result no methane is produced which is better for the environment. What’s more, the finished compost can be put to good use as a free natural fertiliser for plants and gardens, so everyone’s a winner!”
By home composting, you can reduce the amount of waste you send to landfill sites. And it is not just vegetable peelings and dead leaves that can be recycled in this way – occasions such as Valentine’s Day are a great time to remember the variety of items you can add to your compost bin. After the Valentine’s celebrations and declarations of love are a distant memory, old flowers will be a perfect ingredient. Flowers are a ‘green’ ingredient and rot quickly to provide moisture and nitrogen for the compost, which makes for a nutritious end product.
It is vital to mix these ‘green’ items with more fibrous ‘brown’ items such as shredded paper and card as these will add structure to your compost and allow air in. So, those cards that say ‘I love you’ can also say ‘I love my compost bin’. Either rip-up or scrunch the cards and add them to the mix – and in nine to twelve months you will have a batch of perfectly balanced compost.
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.
*Source: The Flowers and Plants Association. http://www.flowers.org.uk