Garden waste is collected from brown bins at the kerbside and taken to Riverside Composting facility. Here it is mechanically shredded and mixed then mounded-up in open air windrows to allow the composting process to begin. Naturally occurring biological activity causes the temperature within the windrows to rise to over 70°C destroying weed seeds, harmful bacteria and pathogens. To ensure this happens, the windrows are regularly turned, temperatures are monitored and samples are taken for analysis. After approximately 14 weeks the compost is ready for use. It is mechanically sieved into 20mm grade and any oversize objects that have not broken down, for example thick branches, are put back into the system to go through the process again.
The compost can be used as a peat-free soil conditioner, mulch or top soil substitute in domestic gardens and allotments or in larger scale projects such as commercial landscaping, agricultural uses and golf courses.