Start recycling in the garden

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1. Going greener in the garden
 Millions of tonnes of garden waste, such as grass cuttings, prunings and leaves, are sent to landfill sites each year – in fact it equates to filling the Royal Albert Hall with grass, twigs and leaves more than 70 times over!

Yet they’re a valuable source of nutrients which could be turned into something altogether more useful – COMPOST!

2. Things You can do

You could be...
  • setting up your new compost bin, or
  • breathing life into your borders with your own home-made compost, or
  • using peat-free compost containing recycled materials, or maybe
  • treating yourself to patio furniture made from recycled materials.
Whatever you are doing, you won't want to keep your garden a secret!

3. Start Composting

A third of the average household bin can be composted.  This includes:
  • fruit and vegetable peelings;
  • teabags;
  • cardboard and newspaper; and
  • your garden waste.
Best of all, it’s easy to do it yourself in a home composting bin.

Visit the Home Composting area to find out how to get started and some top tips for getting the best results. Within 6-9 months you’ll have top quality compost to dig into your soil and give your borders a boost!
Watch Diarmuid Gavin's video on how you can combat climate change in your own garden.

4. Save water
We can all do our bit to reduce the amount of water we use in our homes and gardens, yet maintain moisture levels in our soil.
  • Fit a nozzle on your hosepipe so you can control how much you use. 
  • Grey water (such as dishwater or water from washing vegetables) can be used to water plants as long as it’s allowed to cool, contains no chemicals and isn’t used on plants you intend to eat! 
  • Collect rainwater in a water butt. 
  • Use a soil conditioner or home made compost to aid moisture retention.
  • Choose plants which like dry conditions, such as grasses, herbs and succulents.
5. Get creative
There’s not much in our homes that can’t be put to a good use in the garden!
  • Empty plastic drinks bottles cut in half make great planters or bird feeders
  • Seedlings can be planted in empty yoghurt pots, egg cartons or cardboard toilet roll tubes. 
  • String old CD's or milk bottle tops together to scare the birds away.
  • Fill in gaps in your lawn by using grass seeds sowed on used tea-bags!

What shall I do next?

There are lots of different options for recycling in your garden.  Why not take a look at these:
 

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