Rake in the rewards of composting this autumn

Date issued: 9 October 2020

Colchester Borough Council is encouraging residents to get composting at home this autumn to save money and help the environment. 

Home composting not only reduces your carbon footprint but is also a great addition to your usual recycling habits, as the nutrient-rich product is fantastic for your garden and could save you money too.
 
October is a busy month for keen gardeners and those picking up windfall fruit and autumn leaves. To encourage residents to get composting, Colchester Borough Council is promoting the compost bin special offer from Essex County Council. Bins are available from only £9.50. There’s also a multi-buy offer for residents with larger gardens or for those who team up with a friend or neighbour to buy a bin. 
 
Composting at home is a quick, easy and cost-effective method of clearing away garden waste and making a free supply of compost to use in your garden for the spring. Whether it’s vegetable peelings and eggshells from the kitchen, a leftover pumpkin from Halloween, shredded paper or the cuttings from one last outing for the lawnmower – simply thrown it in your compost bin and over the winter months it will rot down to produce environmentally-friendly compost. 
 
Throughout October, Colchester Borough Council will be sharing composting hints and tips on its Facebook /EnjoyColchester and Twitter @YourColchester pages. 
 
Colchester Borough Council’s Cllr Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Environment and Transportation, said: “Home composting contributes to a greener, cleaner Colchester and is a really effective way to recycle garden and fruit and vegetable waste. Composting throughout the autumn and winter provides excellent compost for use in the spring.” 
 
To find out more about the benefits of composting at home and how you can get involved, visit: www.recycleforessex.com/news-and-ideas/try-composting-at-home