Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

Home Composting
All you need to know to start composting. Common composting problems Buy a reduced price compost bin Buy a reduced priced green cone Make your own compost Trouble shooting and FAQs What is composting? Compost is the end product of a giant feast involving hundreds of different organisms - bacteria, fungi, worms and insects. These organisms break down organic material leaving rich, earthy substance which is an excellent soil improver. The process taking place in compost bins and heaps is a replica of what happens in nature's own recycling system on the forest floor. Plants die, fall to the ground and decay. They are slowly broken down by organisms living on the floor and in the soil leaving behind a nutritious crumbly brown forest floor to feed the plants all over again. All you need to do is create the right environment for these small creatures to natures work - heat, moisture, air and materials. Follow our step-by-step guide to composting to help ensure success.
Why Compost? Traditionally, composting has been seen as something that only very keen gardeners do. However, in recent years there has been growing interest in creating compost from organic materials including food waste, due to the environmental problems caused by traditional disposal methods like landfill. Composting as a single act has many associated environmental benefits and is easier to incorporate into a lifestyle than some other environmentally friendly acts. The environmental benefits of composting are: Decomposing organic waste such as garden waste and food can lead to high methane levels when it is disposed of at landfill - methane is not only a potential fire risk but also a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Slims your bin and reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. Prevents the need for polluting bonfires. Reduces the need to water your garden. Increases plant growth and health. Replaces the need to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Replaces the need to use peat from fast-disappearing peat bogs. Your plants will thank you for it! Useful Composting Resources Recycle Now The Recycle Now campaign has been created and is run by WRAP, which stands for the Waste & Resources Action Programme. WRAP will be working closely with councils and retailers to make sure the recycling message is heard. WRAP is an independent organisation that is funded by Government. Their job is to make recycling work better in the UK and to get more people recycling more stuff more often. Garden Organic Garden Organic, previously the Henry Doubleday Research Association, is Europe's largest organic membership organisation, it is dedicated to researching and promoting organic gardening, farming and food. A good resource for information, how to make compost and provides factsheets on buying and building a compost bin. It is also a good resource for teachers and has a Teaching Zone to give advice and facts on composting. Safe Gardening For garden safety tips and advice from the experts.