Local compost goes a long way at Co-op
Nigel Hatton, who is the Gardening Co-ordinator at the Lincolnshire Co-operative Home Store in Tritton Road, Lincoln, with the recycled compost.
Locally-produced compost made up of grass cuttings, hedge clippings and leaves from green bins across the county has gone on sale in 71 Lincolnshire Co-operatives.
The fertiliser, Lincolnshire Multi Purpose Organic Compost, is made by MEC Recycling based in Swinderby, just outside of Lincoln.
The firm has a contract with the County Council to recycle all the green waste from the City of Lincoln Council and a couple of other nearby districts.
The contract also includes recycling over 2,500 tonnes of garden waste from the council’s Household Waste Recycling Centre at Great Northern Terrace.
The compost by MEC Recycling is part of Lincolnshire Co-operative’s Local Choice range, which features over 70 local products such as beer, bread, crisps, cheese and ice cream.
Compost and Sales Manager Matthew Chapman said: “We’re pleased to be working with Lincolnshire Co-operative because of its backing for local products.
“We felt the people there understood where we come from as we’re a county business.
“Our compost is as good as anything else out there and there is the added angle of cutting transport costs as it has only travelled from our site to the store.
“It’s a good base product as it can be used for so many things – in hanging baskets, in planters, in the beds, even for house plants.”
Machinery turning the compost, allowing it to mature before going on sale.
MEC Recycling is a family-run company, which runs alongside the arable farm, set up 50 years ago.
Every year, MEC Recycling processes around 20,000 tonnes of green waste, producing around 14,000 tonnes of compost.
Director of Housing and Community Services at the City of Lincoln Council John Bibby said: “Green waste collections are very popular in Lincoln and help to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill.
“We’re very pleased to see that the green waste we collect from local residents is being recycled locally by MEC Recycling and Lincolnshire Co-op to make that waste available as compost for use in gardens across the county.”
The compost can be bought from stores such as the Co-op Home Store Tritton Road for £2.99 per 30 litre bag, as well as the Lincolnshire Organic Garden Compost, which retails at £2.69.
