Families and individuals wanting to learn how to turn kitchen scraps into rich, dark compost are invited to a free Compost Fun Day at Seafield Community Recycling Centre this Sunday.
The event, part of Compost Awareness Week which runs 4-10 May, will take place at the Waste Aware Education Cabin at Edinburgh's largest Community Recycling Centre from 10am-4pm.
During the day visitors can :
- what can and can't be composted and what the best bin is
- get close-up with the beasties and worms that do much of the composting work
- Have a go at the Reduce, Reuse Recycle Quiz to win Rolypig Composter and Kitchen Caddy
- Make a flower pot out of newspaper and plant a sunflower seed to grow at home
There will also be tours of the Recycling Centre and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle activities.
During Compost Awareness Week, the Waste Aware Education Cabin is also launching a new Composting Resources Pack and themed composting visit for primary schools, available to primary schools on a recycled USB key.
Compost Fun Day is part of the Council's support for the national Waste Aware Scotland Home Composting Campaign, which offers residents discounted compost bins. This year's campaign offers additional support to first-time composters, with seven Home Composting Advisers throughout Scotland providing advice and support through local events and workshops. City composters are being backed by Edinburgh's own Home Composting Hero - a member of the public who aims to share practical hints and tips about composting at home.
Discounted compost bins are available from as little as £6, and each order comes with a free kitchen caddy and welcome pack including a guide on how to start composting at home. All orders include free delivery to anywhere in Scotland.
"Composting your kitchen and garden waste is great for the environment - it will cut down on the amount of waste needlessly ending up as landfill and the compost produced can then be used to help keep your garden blooming. I hope lots of city residents will take advantage of this current campaign and become home composting 'heroes' themselves," said Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader.
Dr Nicki Souter, SWAG campaign manager, added: "Composting at home helps to reduce the 900,000 tonnes of kitchen and garden waste that Scotland produces every year. It is also a great free soil conditioner for your garden which will help to improve the health and growth of your plants. I would urge people to buy a bin and do their bit for Scotland's environment by taking up home composting."
Compost bins can be ordered via the Waste Aware Scotland website www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk or by calling the order line on 0845 077 0756.