THE virtues of home composting are being extolled by a band of newly trained volunteers master composters who are spreading the word on behalf of the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Team.

Working with UK Charity Garden Organic, the volunteers are promoting the value of soil enrichment for gardens and allotments during National Recycling Week which ends on June 28.

One of the volunteers Polly Sayer of Upper Rissington, is very keen to promote the benefits:“Adding organic materials to the soil makes gardens and allotments thrive. If you get the soil condition right then your garden plants will flourish and - even more importantly - any food that you grow will be more healthy and nutritious. Composting kitchen and garden waste is the key to creating better quality soil and it doesn’t really take a great deal of effort. As a trained master composter, one of my main roles is to promote soil enhancement at local events and community venues so we can encourage more residents to decrease the amount of green waste they are sending to landfill.”

Cabinet Member for the Environment at CDC and Gloucestershire Joint Waste Committee Member, Cllr Sue Coakley, is full of praise for Polly and other master composters:

“These volunteers deserve our full support. They are very knowledgeable about composting and are enthusiastic ambassadors for a greener lifestyle, helping us all appreciate the value of our soil and the need to improve it for the common good.

“Every year Cotswold District residents pay £1.25 million just to bury residual waste, most of which can be recycled in some form or another. Discarded food and garden waste is probably the easiest waste to convert to a better use. At the district council we operate a very reasonably priced kerbside green waste collection service, which converts the waste collected to soil enhancer, and we also offer a free weekly food waste collection. However, home composting is an even better solution.”

Residents in the Cotswolds can purchase discounted compost bins from as little as £8.49 with a fantastic 'buy one get another one half price' offer available as well.

For more information about master composters, composting and the wide range of compost bins and accessories available please visit www.recycleforgloucestershire.com