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Alan Bell gets to work in his garden

ALAN Bell can certainly claim to be a true green champion. For him, composting is a way of life.

His medium-sized garden at his home in Highpath Way, Rooksdown, Basingstoke, boasts two compost bins and four water butts to make the most of waste that would otherwise end up in landfill and rainwater.

Mr Bell, 74, said: "I used to compost when I lived in Cambridge and had a big garden, and after moving to Basingstoke seven years ago, I was keen to start again.

"I collect waste from the kitchen, and put shredded paper, egg boxes as well as garden cuttings into the composter, anything that can rot down.

"I use an organic compost activator to speed things up, and make sure I regularly turn the compost with a fork to get lots of air in, but aside from that I just leave it.

"The only bit of equipment I have is a garden shredder to break down garden waste before I put it in the bin, but you can easily cut it up yourself using shears."

Mr Bell converted a wasted bit of space beside his house to create a composting area.

He said: "I'm lucky in that my neighbours were happy for me to use the space between our houses to locate the bins, but I wouldn't have a problem in putting them elsewhere in the garden."

With his bins producing rich compost, Mr Bell said he was already noticing the benefits.

He said: "I'm not an outstanding gardener, but I do enjoy it and I think that the compost does make a difference, especially with the heavy soil we have around here.

"Lots of people say that they don't have time to compost, but it doesn't take long, and it really reduces the amount of waste we throw away."

Iain Pickles, recycling officer for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said: "Home composting is such a great way for residents to recycle. You can put as much as 30 per cent of your waste in a compost bin.

"Not only does this reduce the amount of rubbish people throw away, but after about six months you should end up with good quality compost that you can use around the garden."

For more information about composting, or to order a compost bin, visit www.recyclenow.com/compost call 0845 0770757.

6:12pm Friday 16th November 2007

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