Byline: ANN EVANSTHE UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year -
yet nearly o...

1. Compost bus spreads the word; Homes&Gardens EVER
fancied really digging in and making your garden more
environmentally friendly? ANN EVANS discovers ways to
make your garden 'greener' with the help of the Compost
Bus.
Byline: ANN EVANS
THE UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of waste every year -
yet nearly one-third of household rubbish is organic and can be easily
recycled by composting.
It was a message the Compost Bus was sharing on its drive through
Coventry, highlighting the benefits of greener gardening.
As part of national Compost Awareness Week, the brightly-coloured,
open-topped double-decker, complete with blooming roof-top garden,
parked at Broadgate for people to climb on board and learn more.
First on board were young gardeners from Cannon Park school who
were keen to discover ways of taking better care of our environment.
Information panels, videos, leaflets and samples to take away
helped people to understand such things as how choosing peat-free
compost containing recycled material or doing your own home composting
can help the environment as well as your garden.
With much of the UK's massive waste production being dumped in

2. landfill sites (which in turn can produce methane gas, which contributes
to global warming) it is time to start thinking compost.
Home-made compost has a variety of benefits. As well as reducing
the amount of waste thrown out for the bin men, it cuts down on the need
to buy manufactured and packaged garden products, helps to reduce
pollution by reducing the need for bonfires and, of course, cuts down on
waste going to landfills.
Home-made compost is also great for helping your garden to
flourish. It improves soil structure and nutrient levels, aiding better
root development so plants will grow healthily, lightens heavy soil,
helps retain moisture, feeds plants and helps control plant diseases.
Additionally, it helps to save wildlife. The use of peat is causing
the destruction of peatland habitats and the animals and rare plants
that live there.
Composted kitchen and garden waste can be used instead of peat, so
wildlife and plantlife in the peatlands can continue to survive.
USEFUL CONTACTS
HOME composting helpline 0845 600 0323 or call your local council.
For composting bins and water butts call 0845 073 2001.

3. TO learn how to create your own compost, access a free guide on
Garden Organic's website www.gardenorganic.org.uk.
FOR tips and advice on recycling home waste visit
www.recyclenow.com
HOW green is your home? Are you doing everything you can to save
energy? Are you into recycling in a big way? How do you show you care
about the environment and the planet? We want to hear from you. Write to
Ann Evans at the Evening Telegraph address, or e-mail
ann_evans@mrn.co.uk
CAPTION(S):
TAKING THE GREEN ROUTE... Pupils from Cannon Park Primary (right)
with Lord Mayor Cllr Ram Lakha about to board the Compost Bus and
(above) Hafsah Janua (lef and Ellie McCurley, both aged 10, with a
hanging basket on the top-deck garden. Pictures: Fabio de Paola
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