Discovery Compost | Dundee City Council

Reminder - Noxious Weeds are prohibited

Noxious weeds are invasive or poisonous in nature, posing hazards to public health, native plant species and also compromise our commercial composting operations. If incorrectly disposed of at our Riverside composting facility, these contaminate the collected garden waste used to produce compost. As a result, Discovery Compost couldn’t be made publicly available for purchase due to the likely further spread of these weeds. To ensure good quality compost can be made available, noxious weeds are prohibited from all composting operations as per the PAS 100 standard. Please see Noxious Weeds section further down this page for more details.

Discovery Compost is produced locally by the Council from the garden waste you put into your brown wheeled bin, both the household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) plus green waste produced from local parks and commercial landscapers.

Garden waste is a valuable resource and by diverting it from our Energy from Waste facility, we are helping to reduce our carbon footprint as well as making a useful end product.

Discovery Compost is certified to Publicly Available Specification 100 (PAS 100) standard which guarantees it is of a consistently high quality and is fit for purpose. The standard covers the entire composting process from the raw materials through to how the finished product is labelled and means producers know they are making a quality product and buyers know they are receiving quality compost.

Noxious Weeds & Other Wastes Not Accepted

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Weed	Japanese Knotweed (Invasive)
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Description	Thick bamboo like stem - green/red in colour. Broad green leaves and white flowers. Plants grow in clumps. Up to 3 metres in height Japanese Knotweed can grow through concrete and other construction materials causing damage to buildings and roads. We strongly recommended commissioning the services of a licenced, trained professional regarding specialist removal and disposal of Japanese Knotweed.
Weed	Giant Hogweed (Invasive)
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Description	Thick, hollow, bristly stems. Large (white) flower heads up to 60cm across. Leaves up to 1.5 metres wide. Up to 3-5 metres in height We strongly recommended commissioning the services of a licenced, trained professional regarding specialist removal and disposal of Giant Hogweed.
Weed	Himalayan Balsam (Invasive)
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Description	Purple-pink, umbrella shaped flowers. Red stems and dark green leaves with serrated edges. Up to 5 meres in height
Weed	Hemlock (Poisonous)
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Description	Green stem with purple-red spots,. Leaves with serrated edges and white f lowers. Hemlock can reach a height of up to 2.5 metres
Weed	Ragwort (Poisonous)
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Description	Clusters of yellow flowers (2cm wide). Thin toothed leaves. Up to 1 metre in heightPlease note Ragwort is poisonous to animals though not harmful to humans.

Please ensure that your Green Waste is free from the following waste types:

Plastics, metals or general waste
Food Waste (no Vegeware or other items claiming to be compostible)
Garden Furniture
Hardcore, rubble and stones
Plant pots or trays
Soil or turf
Tree Trunks
Treated Timber

Compost Information

Discovery Compost is available in 20mm grade from Riverside at the following VAT inclusive rates and subject to availability:

Fill a bag for £2.00 (Council does not supply bags to fill. Customers should bring their own)
Up to 100 tonnes £10.50 per tonne
Collection Only - Please note that we do not offer a compost delivery service. Customers should arrange their own transport
Card Payments Accepted

PAS100: 2018 Supplied Compost - Customer Notice

Approx. compost density - One metric tonne = 1.5 cubic metres in volume

Dundee City Council is required to record the intended use of supplied compost for compliance with PAS 100:2018. By agreeing to purchase compost from us, you are agreeing that you have no intended use requirements other than that of the minimum baseline requirements specified in the PAS 100:2018 standard and the SEPA additional quality standard as follows:

Grade	Principal Grade: 0-20mm
Product/name	Soil improver
Market Segment	Soft landscape, leisure gardening,land restoration and agriculture
Baseline Requirements	BSI PAS 100:2018 Certification Scheme Rules Version 9
Additional quality standard/ specification (name or reference)	SEPA - ROCP (PLASTIC) 0.06%
Additional quality criteria agreed with specific customers (including policy adopted with regards to sharps)	Not Offered

In line with SEPA's position statement 'Regulation of Outputs from Composting Processes' the additional quality standards shall be met:

Date	Parameter	Limit
From 1st December 2019	Plastic	0.06% (66% of current PAS100)

The Composting Process

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.

Riverside Weighbridge & Composting Facility Opening Hours

Riverside Weighbridge & Composting Facility
Wright Avenue, Dundee, DD2 1UR
Find Us: View on map

Opening Hours

	Morning	Lunch (Gates Closed)	Afternoon
Mon to Thu	7:30 - 11:45 *Last Entry 11:30	11:45 - 12:30	12:30 - 15:15 *Last Entry 15:00
Fri	7:30 - 11:45 *Last Entry 11:30	11:45 - 12:30	12:30 - 14:45 *Last Entry 14:30
Sat	Closed
Sun	Closed

* Last entry time is to ensure that customers have weighed in/out, tipped and left the site before gates close.

All visitors must report to the weighbridge

Riverside Discovery Compost Facility Odour Management Plan
Odour Management Plan (757KB PDF)

Are you a SEPA Registered Waste Carrier?

Commercial gardeners in Scotland are required to have a SEPA waste carrier licence if they transport green waste as part of their business activities. According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA):

A waste carrier is defined as any person or business that transports controlled waste (which includes green waste) in the course of business activities with a view to profit. This includes transporting waste from one job to another, to a storage site, or to a disposal facility—even if waste transport is not the main business activity or is only done occasionally.

Visit SEPA Website

For further information:
recycle@dundeecity.gov.uk