COMMUNITY COMPOSTING

Community Composting is a cycle which brings the community aspect of an area and the environmental action of composting together, to create a cycle in which everyone benefits. The idea is that anybody in the local community who needs compost can get some from the Community Composting Station, in exchange for food waste (such as banana peels) which can be made into compost and given away in exchange for more waste, thus continuing the cycle. This means that people in the area always have a supply of organic, mineral-rich compost, which can be used to grow plants in gardens, houses and allotments.

Composting is beneficial for more than plants, though. Compost bins and heaps provide a perfect refuge for creatures like mammals, such as bats, voles and shrews, reptiles and amphibians, such as slow worms, lizards and toads, and invertebrates such as isopods and beetles. These invertebrates help to make and maintain the compost - springtails and isopods are highly beneficial in soil.

Composting also benefits the environment. Instead of going to a landfill, which produces greenhouse gases and pollutes the countryside, waste food goes to undergo a completely natural and healthy process of decomposition and becomes perfect soil for gardening and growing. It is scientifically proven that being in nature decreases negative feelings such as stress and anger and increases pleasant feelings, meaning that composting helps the individual as well as the wider community.