Halterworth School marks Compost Awareness Week with a good dig in

Pupils at a Romsey School recently learned about the benefits of composting thanks to a generous donation by Veolia Environmental Services.

To mark Compost Awareness Week Ed Watson, Composting Manager for Veolia Environmental Services paid a visit to Halterworth Community Primary School with lots of Pro-Grow compost to help the pupils’ plants and trees grow.

The compost was used by pupils from Year 2 fill a newly created raised bed, ready for planting with flowers, fruits and vegetables. The pupils were keen to make the most of the donation and were also busy filling up planters and preparing areas around the school grounds ready for plants and trees.

Teacher Jenny Hogg said, “Thank you to Veolia Environmental Services for giving us the compost, the children really enjoy coming out and getting their hands dirty. We plan to plant lots of flowers and vegetables, ready for a bumper crop this autumn.”

Ed Watson, Composting Manager, “Compost Awareness Week is a great opportunity to get out into the local community and help the children to understand about composting and how it helps plants to grow and where their food comes from.”

Pro-Grow is made from green garden waste which is collected from Hampshire households and sent to one of Veolia Environmental Services’ three composting sites. The process takes between twenty and twenty six weeks, reaching temperatures of up to 75ºC to destroy any weeds, seeds and rhizomes. The final stages of the process involve screening, or sieving the material, to ensure a fine grade making the product easy to work into the soil.

Pro-Grow is an ideal growing medium and provides nutrients vital to plant health and growth, which helps to produce healthy and vibrant plants and shrubs as well as improving the quality of the soil.

So when you are visiting your local Household Waste Recycling Centre to drop off your garden waste don’t forget to complete the recycling loop by picking up a bag or two of Pro-Grow, or call the order hotline on 01962 764068 for a bulk home delivery. To find your nearest HWRC, log onto www.recycleforhampshire.org.uk.