Free compost amid changes to garden waste recycling

Residents are to be offered free compost amid huge changes to the way Guernsey recycles garden waste.

The States of Guernsey said the new approach, known as windrow composting, delivers "a more uniform and nutrient-rich soil".

Each year thousands of tonnes of grass cuttings, hedge trimmings and leaves are brought to Guernsey's green waste facility at Mont Cuet. This waste will now be processed into "superior" compost.

Douglas Button, Guernsey Waste's minimisation and sustainability officer, said: "This is a great example of the circular economy in action - turning the island's garden waste into something people can use for free with confidence to improve their soil and support local growing."

Windrow composting is a method of turning garden or food waste into compost by arranging it in long, narrow piles and regularly turning it to help it break down.

Button added the new compost is a superior product to what was being produced before.

Robert Roussel, the senior technical advisor for Guernsey Waste, said the island produced "an awful lot of green waste".

"Previously the product that we were producing was substandard ... so we have changed the process and produced something that we're now very proud of.

"You can use it in landscaping, you can mix it with your soil ..., you can put it in pots mixed with other composts and other growing media, there's all sorts of uses for it," he said.

Guernsey Waste said residents are able to collect compost for free from Longue Hougue.

People who wanted larger amounts could contact Guernsey Waste over email or by phone to arrange a collection from the Longue Hougue land reclamation site.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.