@ the Kerbside

Why compost green waste?Green waste is the term used for organic garden waste (not green garden furniture, plant pots etc!) and other compostable materials. Garden waste includes materials such as grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, weeds and dead flowers.

Kerbside Collections

Around one third of the average household bin is filled with garden waste and other compostable materials (kitchen waste, such as fruit & vegetable peelings and cardboard and paper). Green waste that is thrown away in the bin ends up being dumped in a landfill site where it takes up a huge amount of the limited space available and at great cost to the taxpayer

When garden and green waste decomposes (or rots) in a landfill site, because of the lack of oxygen it produces methane - a dangerous 'greenhouse' gas. It also produces chemicals, called leachates, which can pollute the local land and water.

Most councils in Suffolk provide a kerbside collection service for garden waste and in some cases other compostable materials; such as fruit and vegetable peelings, shredded paper, coffee grains and teabags, sawdust and untreated wood. Contact your local council recycling officer to check details of the service in your area and which compostable materials can be collected.

Where does it go?

If your council collects your green waste material from the kerbside, it is taken and processed at one of several facilities in the county. Here it undergoes a series of treatments before being made into soil improver either for use in agriculture, horticulture or to be made available to buy for home use.

You can view the composting process at the Lackford facility here.