Ipswich Composting Scheme - Brown bins prove a real success!
The Ipswich Composting Scheme is proving a real hit with residents and covers 42,000 properties. Residents with a brown bin are encouraged to place garden waste such as grass and leaves in their bin. Fruit and vegetable peelings can now be recycled in your brown bin. Due to the compost plant upgrade we can also accept shredded paper.
Thanks to your commitment we have now collected and recycled over 11,000 tonnes of green waste.
Q. Why did Ipswich Borough Council choose brown bins before the kerbside collection of paper, cans and textiles? After all, 'Green waste just rots down harmlessly, doesn't it?'
A. Surprisingly, no - not in landfill. We have all seen an old banana skin shrivel up and rot on the side of the pavement, it is therefore natural to assume that organic waste, thrown out with the rubbish, also composts harmlessly. This is not the case. In landfill, our waste decomposes without oxygen. The oxygen-consuming bacteria usually responsible for the rotting process are simply unable to survive in the deep layers of the landfill. Instead, anaerobic bacteria break down our organic waste, the by-product of this process being ozone-depleting methane and a toxic liquid called leachate. Keeping green waste out of landfill makes for a healthier environment.
Q. What can go in the brown bins?
A. Your brown bin is for recycling your garden waste.
Please place all of your garden waste into the brown bin loose, there is no need to put it in bags.
Yes please
Grass cuttings
Leaves
Light prunings
Hedge trimmings
Weeds and dead plants
Spoilt fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetable peelings
Shredded paper
No thank you
Soil or turf
Eggshells
Food scraps
Aerosols
Rocks and building rubble
Sand based animal bedding
Nappies and used bandages
Q. What happens to the garden waste I put in my brown bin?
A. It is taken to the Ipswich Composting Plant. At the plant, the waste is placed in a computer-controlled tunnel where it is kept at optimum temperature and moisture level. In these conditions it is recycled into a rich soil improver within two weeks.
Q. Where can I get soil improver?
A. Soil improver can also be purchased throughout the year from Ufford Nursery, Melton. For delivery of large quantities please contact Denisons Compost on 01473 712384.
Did you know...We are happy for you to place a couple of sheets of newspaper in the bottom of your brown bin to prevent waste sticking.