Green Waste Compost. The Pros & Cons Explored
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- Green Waste Compost. The Pros & Cons Explored
What Is Green Waste Compost and Is It any Good for your Garden?
With so many ways to buy in green waste compost we ask if it is worth using in your growing spaces by showing you how we get ours, the cost benefits, what to look out for and what to avoid
It has been pointed out via a "comment" made that I have made an error in my currency conversions. In actual fact the cost was £140 sterling, so my maths were a little wayward let's say! Even so, it remains a much cheaper way of doing things. Sorry for the blinding error
Here in the UK there is a problem with green waste contamination. The stuff contains, amongst other things, plastic, shredded drink cans, nails, screws, more plastic, Ikea metal corner fixings, electrical bits, personal hygiene products, nappies etc. etc. I am a detectorist and I encounter this polution regularly. The landowner I visit has the processing unit for the local area. I blame the householder for it is they who put it in their bins in the first place. The landowner told me they even found things like TVs in it. It is a scandal being totally ignored by the Environment Agency and will remain in the ground for centuries to come. Ground which is used for growing food.
This is so sad to read and not uncommon. I am fortunate to be able to inspect my supplier facilities. In the past I have found similar contamination in shop bought products
Looks lovely! Here in Canada it is now very expensive and I’m not sure I’d trust it. People throw everything in their “green bins”. What is the plastic from? I guess you could use it for trees and bushes…?
We make our own. Hard work but great product.
Hi. For sure I can't know for sure what people put in. The plastic tends to come from the collection bags being emptied prior to processing. This delivery did have a higher wood chip level than the last one. For me I used it as a base layer on new beds and then a top dressing on established ones after applying garden compost that's made here. There are nutrients in it but I look at it's moisture retention properties. How we make compost videos are also on the channel if you want to take a peek and compare notes
Here in Australia, green waste compost used to be free if you picked it up, then it was cheap, but now it's not.
I could buy the crappy green waste compost for AU$80 per cubic metre, or Mushroom compost or decomposed manure for a similar price.
I guess it depends very much on your locality. I've seen them make the green waste compost and they are quite good about getting rid of big plastic bits and the heat of the process kills all the weed seeds and pathogens.
Thanks for your comments. Here garden waste in put in flimsy pale green plastic bags and I think that these are ripped open to empty the contents. On rare occasions I might find a piece of strimmer cord but as I said in other videos a tiny handful of rubbish is minimal from tons. With the increased popularity in growing our own compost prices have increased and quality down which is why I use this to feed soil and retaining moisture and make a lot of our own compost as the main input
If boiling and cooking food doesn't eliminate pesticide and herbicide residue then composting certainly doesn't.
Then there's PCB contamination and micro plastics.
You say you've checked.
Have you Data from in depth chemical analysis regarding contamination.
I certainly wouldn't be using that stuff for soil amendment with food crops.
It might be alright for amenity gardening and none food plant production.
hi Matthew and thanks for your comments. If you can make your own compost at home using your own materials that you know have not been sprayed then that is the ultimate goal, would you agree. But, with so many people now wanting to grow their own, buying in compost has become so expensive and whether it comes in a bag or delivered like mine can anyone be 100% sure. Commerically made compost can contain anything and none of us can know for sure unless like I did I paid a visit to my facility to check the process. Agreed, there will be residues of some things, but they do not use for example, so called compostable food containers that contain forever chemicals that governments want us to do without telling us of the resdiues that go into the soil forever. For me, I can only look at what is available to me, and make a decision based on that. For sure, residues are everywhere, including rainwater. I have used this supplier before and now looking at my own soil and its vastly improved life within I am as confident as I can be that it works for me.
Green waste compost seems to be a generic term. Looking at my supplier, they only use garden waste from residental properties in the area. I do know of others that use other materials including human waste so obviously I avoid. FOr me, it works and is a good alternative, but I only have 25% use of it when combined to my other ingredients for the beds, home made compost, sawdust and leaf mold as examples.
@@diaryofanorganicgrower luckily I made 1.5 ton of organic compost last year.
I have cows in the back field behind my house with a large supply of nettles and comfrey for home made fertiliser.
Bales of organic barley Straw for carbon and a healthy supply of green organic material that I can get from my customers.
I'm a self employed qualified gardener by trade with a large veg garden on the edge of the Brecon beacons so I'm more lucky than most.
I also use Hugel culture in most of my beds.
No pesticides and companion grow everything to increase biodiversity amongst predatory insects and pollinators.
I recycle all my own green waste in my compost as well.
I live in a terraced house so it just shows anything is possible given the circumstances.
My whole setup is completely organic and my compost production is increasing year on year. 😁👍
It's the same here. I was turning some compost yesterday and the results after just 7 months is so heartwarming. I accept that bringing in materials will not guarantee 100% no chemicals but often we can off set that with other methods we can control. With only 30% of our monthly rain total this month I also look for water retention. Like you I am trained and that with ovrr 50 years experience and also gardening companies I still learn new things
This year in the new season the council are making you pay for taking it away in Middlesbrough it's forty pounds and in some places it's double the price I myself can't see the public paying for it all mine stuff will be going to the allotment so I can compost it myself what do you think about it do you think people will pay for it to be took away
Before coming here local councils were starting to charge people. Many will not like paying so perhaps you could create something whereby you could to help your compost making process?
That's exactly how it should be. We compost all our own 'green waste' and should get a CT rebate, but we don't.
3:44 its about $90
Thanks. I just updated my terrible maths as my cost was double. Thanks so much for your input
@@diaryofanorganicgrowerYea that sounded very low
Ground Elder or Bindweed? Could be a problem ?
Hi. When green waste compost is made it gets to such a high temperature that all weeds and seeds plus any pathogens are killed off. I do have some bindweed but it is dramatically reduced now by adopting no dig principles as part of our overall space
Hello Simon, been watching you some of your videos for a while and I live also in Hungary, although not in the same region as you. I just got delivered few weeks ago green waste compost, and it was still hot, and smelly, with a pH of 5. I turned the whole pile, and separated it in 3 smaller piles... one of them into my compost bin, where I inserted 3 PVC pipes with holes. But I am concerned as when I can use this as a no dig solution in my beds? Still not ready compost would lock-in nitrogen from the plants. Also I am not sure if I can sow seeds in green waste compost.
I started a test, where I used one of the piles as a compost mulch on top of my bed, and sowed radishes in there to test it, but the germination time seems to be way off. (first radish started to pop out after 10 days)
Also I did complain at the green waste plant, where they sent me half the volume of soil and said I should mix the compost with it, and I cannot sow or plant in compost. I just ignored the remarks, although I am still not sure about their compost.
So again sorry for the long read... I am just trying to figure out what can I do.
Hi. A pH level of 5 puts it in the acidic range and I am always looking for a 7. When I build a new bed I start with either cardboard or newspaper then sawdust horse manure and then finally the green waste compost. Having it as a top layer allows me to sow directly from which the roots travel down into the mix below. The delivery this time did contain more visible pieces of wood than before but I use that as a way of moisture retention. You saw me checking the temperature which I do for at least 7 days to make sure it's not too hot. You could test it by filling a pot and then popping in some bean seeds to see how they germinate. Where did you buy it from and what was the temperature when it was delivered? Interested to know too where in Hungary you are
@@diaryofanorganicgrower I live a little south-east from Pest side in a suburban area. I got my green waste compost from Dunaharaszti. I use top-soil beneath compost, as I have mainly elevated beds. I wish I could use horse manure or cow manure, but in our area we can get only fresh manure, and as I live in a residential area it is not really advised store fresh manure in my allotment. :) Thanks for the advice though... will try it with bean seeds too.
I did not know the temperature, because I don't have a compost thermometer, but when I did stick in my hand with gloves, it was still really hot, and in the morning when it was delivered it was fuming.
Also I really like what you are doing, and would be really interested to hear how and when you got to live here. :) My wife's relatives live near you at Mindszent and Hódmezővásárhely. If there would be a possibility sometime, to have a tour at your tanya it would be great. It is great to learn from your experiences in the same hardiness zone and area. :)
ok - so to start the heat is an issue for you. It is too hot, and you can tell with your hands and defo do not want to see any steam - it is still cooking and no where near ready. With horse-manure you would need to make sure that the animals have not been eating hay that was sprayed with chemicals such as Grazon as that is a herbicide that remains in the manure and will stop plant growth. If unsure, do not use it. Here's a link to a video I made recently about moving here ruclips.net/video/KGgR1HBVai0/видео.html
You mentioned your supplier gave you soil to mix in....... I have just looked up the details you gave and are somewhat lacking in info but it seems they are a composting company selling a range of products - am I right. Have to say, not sure I would trust soil coming in from an outside source I did not know. How much did you get delivered of the GW?
Happy to arrange a tour but not for a few weeks yet as busy with a lot of stuff going on
do you have connections with Vac?
@@diaryofanorganicgrower Yes, the supplier has lack of info on their site, and some of my neighbors confirmed that they are also using cow manure in the green waste compost if there are lack of materials (probably the batch I got the end of February was also made of).
So as I said, no chance for me to use fresh manure as I could get complaints from neighbors... I could only buy bags of well-aged cow manure, but that would get really expensive, hence I made the choice for the green waste compost.
I ordered 2 cubic meters of compost, and got another 1 cubic meter of top soil to mix in.
And no, I have no connections with Vac.
I am not asking for a tour now, and I know spring is really busy in a bigger allotment like yours. Just asked by chance, and when we are visiting relatives in the summer it would be great to arrange. :)
Sorry man, but i have to say… very little information in this video.
Hi. In what way?
@@diaryofanorganicgrower
They delivered a truckload of compost …
What about it ???
The video is about green waste compost which is different to compost bought from a garden centre. I spoke about how it's made locally to me, what I look for, potential issues and address points raised. Sorry if you missed that
Yep. When you've analysed it properly and actually grown something in it then come back with something worthwhile.
I have replied to your other message - have to say your tone is somewhat abrupt. I hope you read the reply I sent you