Promoting and supporting home composting

Shropshire Master Composter Scheme

What is the Master Composter Scheme?

Master Composters are volunteers who spend time promoting home composting in their local community, encouraging householders to take up composting and supporting those already composting to continue to do so effectively. Master Composters come from many backgrounds and age groups: their unifying feature is their enthusiasm for encouraging more environmentally friendly waste management practices.

 
Why become a Master Composter?

The Master Composter idea was initiated in North America over ten years ago and is now an established method of providing an advisory network to promote and support home composting. Volunteers can contribute in many different ways: we can give talks to schools and community groups, attend events such as village fetes or school fairs, and write articles for Parish magazines and Community newsletters.

In this way, we reach an audience that Council employees do not always have the time, resources or ability to target. As members of the community in which we are working, our message is well respected and we can become an integral part of a successful national and regional recycling campaign.

 Use of home composting bins diverts approximately 220kg of biodegradable waste per household from landfill each year. Therefore any Master Composter activity that encourages home composting reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill.

• In our scheme, 28 volunteers totalled over 600 hours promoting composting last year.
• Undertaking community environmental volunteer work develops skills and knowledge, thus building social capital and contributing to sustainable communities.

Who trains our volunteers?

Garden Organic is the new working name for the Henry Doubleday Research Association. It is one of the UK’s longest standing environmental charities and has over 32,000 members interested in sustainable living and organic growing in particular.

 
Composting is a vital cornerstone of organic gardening and the organisation has worked to develop compost  techniques and promotion since it was first established 5 decades ago. They feel strongly  that people who compost at home should have inspirational support to ensure that they continue to compost successfully throughout their lives.

 
Their pioneering work in the establishment of Master Composter schemes in the UK and the training of home composting and recycling advisors has helped to bring home composting into the mainstream. They  are often the first port of call for anyone interested in learning more about home composting or setting up a Master Composter scheme.

 The Cambridgeshire Master Composter Scheme, run by Garden Organic in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council has won six awards in five years, including three Green Apple awards for innovative community projects.

• During 2006, Garden Organic trained 150 volunteers to become Master Composters across England, and trained 60 local authority personnel in home composting techniques and promotion.
• Garden Organic has partnerships in England, Wales and Scotland, and we co-ordinate the UK Network for Master Composters.

 How are training courses run?

Master Composter training takes place over 2 days, usually a weekend. One day is held in Shrewsbury. This  explains the scope of the scheme,  what is required of volunteers and what help they can expect. There may be a visit to a ‘green waste’ on- farm composter,  to see composting on a large scale.

The next day is a trip to Garden Organic’s site at Ryton, near Coventry. They have examples of all kinds of home composting equipment, and cover technical aspects of composting and interacting with the public.

All transport is provided, and lunch and refreshments. Volunteers are also issued with a helpful manual, and a polo shirt and fleece to wear when volunteering.

 The current group

 We started in October 2006. There have been 2 Master Composter courses, and we now have 28 members, from Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Telford,  Church Stretton and Clun. We’ve attended events as diverse as  composting in schools, Shrewsbury Flower Show, Fordhall Farm Fun days, Oswestry Farmers Market  and the West-Mid Show. We’ve given talks to school children, WI groups, various  clubs, allotment members – and anyone else who will listen!

 
Our group was nominated for an award at the National Master Composters Conference in 2008, and one of our members was awarded the Individual Achievement Award – and 14 of us were presented with our ‘graduation’ certificates by Bob Flowerdew!

 
 The scheme was set up by  the Shropshire Councils, and is currently supported by Veolia Environmental Services, who  deliver  waste and recycling  services on behalf of Shropshire Waste Partnership. Their contract with SWP includes promotion of composting and other recycling.

  Contact Sue Jelleyman on 01743 210713

 or e-mail sue.jelleyman@shropshire.gov.uk

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