Composting

The following composters are available for purchase, as well as water butts and other products, by visiting essex-getcomposting.

• Compost Converter 220 litre - £15.00 + £5.49 delivery per order. Buy one get one half price
• Compost Converter 330 litre - £18.00 + £5.49 delivery per order. Buy one get one half price.
• New for 2011 Converter base - £8.50 + £5.49 delivery per order. Buy one get one half price.

Alternatively call them on 0844 571 4444.

Since the start of the compost scheme in 2005, Southend borough residents have bought over 8,000 compost bins and we hope for even more in the coming years.

Lots of different materials - estimated to be up to 30% of an average household bin - can be recycled in a compost bin. These include vegetable peelings, old flowers, fruit scraps, green garden waste such as weeds, grass cuttings, shrubs and hedge prunings, leaves and bedding from vegetarian pets.

Many of these items could otherwise end up in a landfill site where they release climate-changing gases as they biodegrade - so composting is good for the environment as well as good for the garden!

There are other good reasons to home compost - it saves you money as you will no longer have to buy compost from garden shops. It is also good for the environment as it is peat free - which is a non-sustainably produced material often removed from unique habitats. It is the most sustainable way of dealing with your peeling and garden waste as you close the recycling loop in your own garden. Compost improves all types of soils and helps to make them healthier - promoting plant growth and filling your garden with colour and life!

We urge residents to make this year the year to start composting and reduce the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill.

For a guide to composting in 7 easy steps, and other help and advice see Recycle Now. Also why not click here and watch Diarmuid Gavin talk home composting.