New commercial composting facility planned for Oswestry

Planning permission has been granted for a new in-vessel 14,000 tonne a year composting facility to be developed on land at Brookfield Farm near Oswestry. 

The site in question already composts green garden waste from households in the Oswestry area and has done so for a number of years under contract to the local council since 2003.  These new plans propose to enhance the existing facility so that In-Vessel composting can take place on the site. This is essentially industrial  composting which takes place within enclosed steel containers allowing for a much hotter composting process.  The reason for this is to allow food waste to be composted at high temperatures thus killing off any nasty bacteria like salmonella and e-coli which may be present on the food waste.

The waste would be tipped within an indoor large steel agricultural style building.  Stockpiling, shredding and blending and loading of wastes into large steel containers would take place out of site and under cover within this building.  The sealed vessels will then be wheeled to a designated area within the external rear yard where primary composting operations would be undertaken.  The composting wastes would be aerated by a forced-air system.  Exhaust air would be extracted from the vessel by a fan and passed through the biofiltration system.  Temperature would be monitored and controlled.  The system would enable the temperature to reach 65°c for a period of 2 days, as required by Animal Byproducts Regulations. Once the initial phase has been completed, the vessels would be wheeled into the maturation building and the material would be formed into piles to undergo stabilisation and maturation. The piles would be monitored and once temperatures have fallen to a relatively constant level, the material would be screened within the screening shed. 

It is intended that compost is produced to PAS100 standard, the nationally recognised quality standard for compost. This will ensure that compost produced is no longer classed as a waste, and will allow the resulting compost to be sold as a product to local horticultural and agricultural outlets.  The majority of the compost produced would continue to be used on site, to be spread on the farm land as a soil improver.

Saving water in the garden

Top Ten Water Saving Tips for the Garden

It is possible to garden and save water - just follow our handy tips.

1. Become a fan of the can

Your hosepipe or sprinkler can use as much water in one hour as a family of four in a whole day so get back to basics and swap your hose for a watering can filled with water from your water butt when watering your garden!

2. Be cool

Try to water in the cool of the evening or very early morning. That way less water will be lost immediately to evaporation. Direct the flow to the roots - not the leaves - to give the plants a maximum benefit.

3. Mulch ado about something

Mulches such as pebbles, gravel and chipped bark require low maintenance and are perfect for keeping moisture in and weeds out.

4. Don't hang around

Go easy on hanging baskets and small pots in summer; large containers are easier to keep watered and, plant for plant, use less water. Use moisture retaining crystals mixed with your compost to make an easy way of watering and reduce evaporation.

5. Let it go brown

Set your mower on a higher setting and don't cut the lawn too often - longer grass retains moisture better. Lawns don't need watering - a brown lawn soon recovers after a rain.

6. Around we go!

Water around plants, not over them, to reduce evaporation loss. Water less often but give the plants a good soak when you do, to encourage deeper rooting and sturdier plants.

7. Water Efficient Plants

Plants are an essential part to the beauty of any garden. By combining water saving measures with a careful selection of plants, trees and shrubs, you can save yourself water and hard graft and sit back and enjoy your green haven.

8. Spoil the Soil

Cultivate the soil deeply and dig in large quantities of organic matter to improve soil structure, soil water retention and water availability for plants. Well-rotted garden compost, composted bark and well-rotted farmyard manure are good to use.

9. Small is better

Plant things when they are small because they will develop much greater resilience as they adapt to their conditions from a young age. Ideally plant in the autumn so they can do some growing before the dry season arrives.

10. Unravel with Gravel

Gravel gardens are easy to maintain and require less watering, since you do not have a lawn.

11. Use your butt whenever possible!(One extra for luck)

Plants love rain water, so make sure to use it whenever you need to water any of your plants. You can buy them from Severn Trent with a special offer, Buy One Get One Half Price.

This article was sponsored by Severn Trent Water

 

Composting Ragwort

When we're out and about educating the public about home composting we sometimes get asked about Ragwort.   Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is a specified weed under the Weeds Act 1959.  This is because although Ragwort is a beautiful yellow flowering plant but it does grow "like a weed" and it is a concern to people because it can be poisonous to horses. 

You can often identify Ragwort by the multi petal bright yellow flowers and also by the likely presence of the Cinnabar Moth caterpillars (as seen on the photo) which feast on the plant and deliberately take up its toxins to use as a deterrent to stop birds from eating them.

In terms of composting you can compost Ragwort, yes – of course as a plant it will rot down and form compost - but we suggest only really in small amounts and with caution.  The amount you are likely to come across in your domestic garden should not be a problem.  You should consider your surroundings e.g. if your garden backs onto a horse paddock then you may consider this not worth the risk.  We recommend wearing gloves and handling with care when adding to your compost bin.  We suggest using a compost bin with a lid, because it is sealed unit this will minimise any potential risk of seeds spreading as the plant dries out. 


Like with many poisonous plants the toxins will completely breakdown in composting process and so the finished compost is perfectly fine to use afterwards but you just need to avoid contact with your skin and of course don’t ingest any of the plant (in the unlikely even you decide to eat some!) because Ragwort contains toxins that can be harmful to humans and very harmful potentially even fatal to horses. 

The other concern is that is spreads "like a weed" so if you arent careful you can encourage more growth when your remove it.  The thing to do with Ragwort is pick it before it goes to seed, when the flowers are still yellow.  If you pull it up by the root completely it comes up quite easily and this should ensure it doesnt come back.  Then simply add to your compost bin along with your kitchen peelings, tea bags, grass cuttings, junk mail, cardboard boxes etc and it will rot down in a few months to form good compost.

If you are unsure – follow this link to DEFRA ragwort guide: http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb11050-ragwort-dispose-110315.pdf

Composting Ivy

When we are out promoting home composting with Shropshire Master Composters we sometimes get asked if it is OK to compost Ivy.

Well, yes of course its a plant, so technically it will rot and it will break down to form a soil like substance we know as compost which is rich in nutrients.  However if you add lots of ivy to your home compost heap you will likely find that it continues to grow in the heap and can spread to areas where you use the compost afterwards which is not desirable.

So the answer is really 'Yes, but with caution'.  To avoid Ivy taking over your compost heap it is best to kill it off first simply leave it to dry out in the sun for atleast a fortnight.

Another approach is to rot it down separately in a tied black bin bag which starves it of air and sort of sweats it down and cooks it and effectively starts it rotting down.  Leave it for a month then add it the mushed up contents to the compost heap when it's mush. 

Food waste prevention advice

In the UK it’s fair to say that we waste far too much food. Recent research suggests that we throw away around a staggering 20% of all the food that we buy.  Not to mention the wastage, financially it is costing the average household up to £450 a year!  

With our busy lives it can be hard to shop wisely and prepare fresh food. However, by making just a few small changes you are likely to see the size of your bin shrink. 

Here are some ideas to get started.

1. Get Acquainted with Your Freezer

A freezer is the answer to your prayers if you’re trying to cut down on waste and slim down your shopping budget (and maybe yourself!). By using your freezer you can keep loads of food that could have otherwise gone off and you can cook meals in advance.

It’s often handy to freeze bread as if you live alone or with just one other person you might well struggle to get through a whole loaf before bits of it start to go green and furry.

You can also freeze some fruits and vegetables, which is great as these are prime candidates for getting thrown out because they’re past their best. Frozen bananas that are on the turn are great for baking, especially for banana bread. Frozen strawberries or raspberries are great for having on hand to whip up a smoothie. Frozen vegetables will keep in the fridge for making soups, even if they are cooked leftovers from meals.

You can even freeze leftover wine (if there is any!) for cooking. Freeze it in ice cube trays and just drop it in the pan for any dishes that call for wine.

If you’re cooking something like a bolognese sauce o. r curry, cook extra and freeze it in portions. This will be very handy for nights when you can’t be bothered cooking and should weaken the pull of the takeaway outlet.

2. Plan Ahead

Shopping wisely is key to cutting down on your food waste. Writing a list might seem a bit dull but it’s a surefire way to shop in an organised way. Write a meal plan for one or two weeks and then only buy the ingredients you need for those meals. You might end up getting a few extras and treats but so much less than if you just shop haphazardly.

3. Less Packaging

Buying food with less packaging obviously reduces packaging waste but it can also cut down on food waste. By buying loose foods such as fruit, meat and even rice and pasta (from weigh houses) you can buy just what you need, rather than having to buy a large pack that you’ll never get through.

4. Get Creative!

Using up the leftovers that you have can be a good way to come up with new recipes. For one night of the week have a “fridge clear out” meal. It might not sound too appetizing but some families come up with their favourite new recipes that way!

Try interesting pasta sauces, soups, curries and pies. If you look online many recipe sites let you search by ingredient so this is a good way to get inspiration.

For starters some great ones can be found on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

Minsterley Show 2012

Volunteers from Shropshire Master Composters were out and about this weekend promoting home composting at the annual Minsterley Show.  

The event which has been running for over one hundred years is one of Shropshire premier agricultural shows  and attracts thousands of visitors each year. 

 Visitor numbers were up at Minsterley Show on Saturday as the 137th annual extravaganza attracted more people than the 13,000 who went last year – taking advantage of the afternoon summer sunshine.  We were really lucky with the weather and the day was really successful as we spoke to over 200 visitors to our stand on the day most of whom were extremely enthusiastic about composting and recycling.

For more information on this event visit http://www.minsterleyshow.org.uk

For more information on Shropshire Master Composter visit www.shropshirecomposters.co.uk 

A big thanks to the numerous volunteers who gave up their time this weekend to make this possible.  Lets hope it encourages more people in Shropshire to get composting

Turing Sunflowers

You may be aware that the Museum of Science Industry in Manchester and the Manchester Science Festival are running what they are calling ‘the experiment of the year’ aimed at encouraging schools, community groups and workplaces to grow sunflowers and then explore the mathematical questions that Turing grappled with as part of his work on patterns and coding. See:

http://www.turingsunflowers.com/about/why

for more information.

The website offers growing tips, but is also going to create an online community for those engaged with the project. We thought you might be interested in case this was an opportunity for your local school or group. 

 

Composting in ancient history

We all know that composting has been happening in nature on forest floors since time began (so to speak), but who would have thought that composting as a recognised practice dates back to at least 10,000 years ago. This is when the people who settled in the Fertile Crescent area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Iran and Iraq), gradually changed their way of living. They stopped hunting and food gathering and settled down into small villages, growing their food and tending to their animals. They noticed that plants and grass all grew better when they were next to manure. This led to the placing of manure, which is high in nitrogen, on their crops. Thus, compost making was discovered!

The Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans all practiced compost making and, in 50 BC, Cleopatra is reported to have made worms sacred after observing their composting abilities. The first recorded compost "recipe" was developed by a Roman Statesman, scientist and farmer named Marcus Cato over 2000 years ago. His system was the first recorded use of vermicomposting, or worm composting and was hailed as a wonderful soil conditioner.

 

Marcus Cato  (234-139 BC.)

Composting Guru Sir Albert Howard

Newsletter article from our partners at Garden Organic

Of course composting has happened for millenia but in the 20th century a real composting guru came along. His name is Sir Albert Howard and in 1940 he worked as an agronomist for the UK government. It was from his experience as an agronomist that he published his groundbreaking research, An Agricultural Testament, which became the guidelines for organic farming.

 

Sir Albert, also considered the father of modern organic compost making, worked in India for 29 years, from 1905 until 1934. He combined his scientific knowledge with his observations of the methods used by the local farmers, to develop a method of compost making called the Indore method, named after the town of Indore. This method, based on mixing three parts of green waste with one part of farm manure, is composed of simple layers; the first layer being weeds and leaves, then a smaller layer of manure, covered by a thin layer of topsoil (controversial, I know!). These layers were repeated until the heap was about 1.5 meters tall; it was kept moist, and turned often to keep it aerated. The resulting compost was ready for the garden in about three months, and ensured soil fertility and greater crop sizes with the crops having a better nutrient value.

Many people still use this compost making method, preferring to have an open compost heap in their garden, which they turn, rather than having a compost bin or one of the many types of compost tumblers. However, it is worth mentioning that this system was successful in India which has a warmer climate than the UK and so success with this system throughout the year in Britain would be harder to achieve, there is also the element of using valuable topsoil in the process. 

 

Saying all this, Sir Albert’s work influenced and inspired many farmers and agricultural scientists who furthered the organic movement, including Lady Eve Balfor. He was a pioneer in not only in the organic circles but I think he deserves his place amoungst our Composting Gurus!

Laurence D. Hills

Lawrence D Hills was the founder and was for many years the Director of the Henry Doubleday Research Association. This organisation, which started life in Bocking, Essex was named after the Victorian Quaker Henry Doubleday, a smallholder who was intrigued by the uses for comfrey. Hills took up the crusade to research comfrey. He also wrote books, edited journals, and wrote a weekly gardening column for The Observer for many years..

Lawrence Hills was born in 1911 and at the age of 16 he started a practical career in horticulture, interrupted by WWII. Whilst in and out of RAF hospitals during the war he wrote his first book. He was invalided out of the RAF on D-Day. In 1948 he first grew comfrey and became aware of its possibilities, writing his first book about comfrey in 1953 and founding the Henry Doubleday Research Association in 1954. He retired in 1986, the year after HDRA moved from Bocking to its present site at Ryton near Coventry.

It was at the Bocking trial grounds that he worked on cultivars of comfrey and perhaps his greatest success and the variety which is popular today is a sterile version, named Bocking 14. Comfrey can be an invasive plant so a plant that was exclusively propagated from root cuttings was a very useful variety. He was active in all aspects of organic gardening and oversaw the transformation of what had been The Comfrey Research Station into the internationally recognised organic research organisation that it is today.

His many publications included Fertility Without Fertilisers, Down to Earth Gardening, and Organic Gardening. He was best known for Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables published in 1971. This rapidly became a bible for gardeners, self-sufficiency enthusiasts and commercial organic growers. His autobiography was Fighting Like the Flowers (1989).

In 1973, his concerns about European Union legislation outlawing historic varieties of vegetables led to the setting up of HDRA’s vegetable seed library. Persistent lobbying of government eventually resulted in the world’s first vegetable gene bank where seed was deep frozen and stored forever. He was concerne that there would be a loss of genetic diversity if old and trustest varieties where allowed to die out.

Lawrence’s wife Hilda Cherry an author and nutrionist helped him overcome his severe problems with coeliac disease which had left him wheelchair bound, she introduced him to a wheat-free diet. Hilda died in 1989. Lawrence Hills died in 1991, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Coventry University that year.

For more information on his work visit www.gardenorganic.org.uk

Comfrey - the wonder plant

The History of Comfrey

Comfrey is a native herb in Britain and has long been known as a medicinal herb. It was cultivated by ancient Greeks. Its botanical name is Symphytum officinale and it is a member of the Boraginaceae family as are Borage and Forget-me-not. The name Comfrey is a corruption of ‘con firma’, which ties in with its old common name of Knitbone.

Historically comfrey was grown as a medicine and used to treat everything from ulcers to broken bones.

In the 19^th century a Quaker smallholder, Henry Doubleday became intrigued by Russian Comfrey. He did research, including the treatment of wounds on horses. Henry Doubleday spent the last thirty years of his life researching into the food values of the comfrey crops he grew. He introduced the cultivated varieties which the varieties of today are based on.

In the 1950’s Lawrence D Hills picked up on this and he started what has become Europe’s largest organic gardening association, the Henry Doubleday Research Association now called Garden Organic. Hills ran selective breeding programs and developed the best gardener’s cultivar, Bocking 14.

Nutritional Values of Comfrey

Comfrey contains high levels of the basic NPK nutrients, drawn up from the deep by its extensive root system. This NPK mix makes it an ideal fertilizer for many vegetables but especially so for potatoes and tomatoes.

Hills listed the following nutritional value of Bocking 14 Comfrey in his book Comfrey, Past Present and Future;

Material	Water (H20)	Nitrogen (N)	Phosphorus (P)	Potash (K)	Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio (C:N)
Farm Yard Manure	76 %	0.64 %	0.23 %	0.32 %	14:1
Wilted Russian Comfrey	75 %	0.74 %	0.24 %	1.19 %	9.8:1
Indore Compost	76 %	0.50 %	0.27 %	0.81 %	10:1

Comfrey Liquid Feeds

Comfrey can be made into a wonderful liquid feed – it is quite simple. Take a barrel or tub; add comfrey leaves to about a quarter way up the barrel, fill with water and leave for 3 to 5 weeks. Warning! It will smell like an open sewer as it ferments! However the liquid can be used as a wonderful tomato feed.

Using Comfrey in the Garden

Over the season you can expect to get 3 or 4 cuts from an established comfrey bed. The first cut is probably best used under potatoes. A layer of, preferably, wilted leaves placed in the trench under the potatoes will quickly rot down to provide nutrition to the potato crop. One side benefit is that the flavour of potatoes is supposed to be improved by using comfrey as a fertiliser. 

 

The second cut can be used to start making liquid feed.

The high level of nitrogen in comfrey and the low carbon / nitrogen ratio, means that it is not really suited to making compost on its own. It is, however, an ideal activator for the general compost heat. Mixing comfrey with compost and leafmould will create natural compost ideal for potting on tomatoes. 

 

For more information visit: -

www.shropshirecomposters.co.uk

www.gardenorganic.org.uk

Suns out so get composting

If you aren’t already composting at home, spring is the time to get off to a flying start! With warmer weather providing optimum composting conditions, this is the season to speed up your compost-making.

All you need to get started is:

- A compost bin: You can make your own but to make it easier, there is a discount scheme for residents to buy compost bins at reduced prices – visit www.shropshire.getcomposting.com for details.

- Lots of waste: you can compost everything from grass cuttings and twigs to household waste such as potato peelings, newspapers and tea bags. Aim for a 50/50 mix of ‘greens’ (grass cuttings, flowers, fruit peelings) and ‘browns’ (coffee grounds, cardboard, tissues and paper napkins, vacuum cleaner dust).

- A bit of patience: compost takes 6-12 months to be ready. By making your home compost this summer, you will have a great product to support your growing garden next spring.

It’s really easy to compost, because nature does all the work for you! But should you have any difficulties you can contact our network of volunteer expert Master Composters via www.shropshirecomposters.co.uk and we can help troubleshoot.

FREE recycling information for schools

Its important to inspire young people about recycling if we want people to develop the lifelong habits, skills and behaviours required to recycle and reduce waste.  If you are looking to run educational activities on waste and recycling for a school group there are lots of free resources available from posters to DVDs. 

 

Just click on the links below to claim your free resources now.

Here you go - just email these guys for a free DVD and posters on glass http://www.britglass.org.uk/Education/Resources.html

email these guys for a free DVD on cans http://www.scrib.org.uk/recycling_steel/recycling_video.asp

email these guys for a free tree and aluminium can recycling stuff http://www.alupro.org.uk/key-stage-2.html

keep britain tidy are always good for waste & litter stuff too http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/OrderMaterials/Default.aspx

these guys do plastics stuff www.recoup.org/shop/asp/default.asp

PS - Ollies world is a good website for them to look at too http://www.olliesworld.com/

"compostable" packaging

I’ve always been a little bit sceptical of compostable packaging because I think its just a way to make people feel less guilty about over packaged produce which it would be better to avoid in the first place.

That said I know some of the other volunteers at Shropshire Master Composters have also raised concerns that its made out of stuff which could be food, such as corn starch or potatoes and in the current state of the world food prices to deliberately make non-edible stuff out of food seems like fanning flames of global food insecurity.

We recently got invited to see a compost heap of an elderly chap in Shropshire who has been merrily tossing the 'compostable' packaging which comes from leading supermarkets organic range onto his compost heap.   After about ten months when the time came to empty it we were shocked by how little of the packaging had actually rotted away at all.

As you can see from the picture, most of the plastic had barely started to break down. Not only that, where the plastic had trapped the other compostable  materials, these had started to compost anaerobically – and the smell was awful! Clearly whilst some of the material may compost in lab conditions or in commercial industrial composting facilities people need to take care about what they add to their home compost bins!

Re-use in the garden

As experienced gardeners and composters the volunteers at Shropshire Master Composters have come up with some top tips to help us all to waste less at home and in the garden.

Did you know? With over 15 million gardens in the UK covering 270,000 hectares, gardens cover more space than all the National Nature Reserves in the UK!  They are a wonderful chance to help protect wildlife habitat. However your garden is also a great opportunity to help reduce your household waste and make innovative reuse of numerous items, for instance:

* You can use cardboard egg boxes in the garden to plant seeds in, you can plant out the whole seedling cardboard and all. 

* Buy a home-composter at reduced prices from www.getcomposting.com We find that simply by composting you can eliminate at least 50% of all your rubbish and turn it into a useful product for the garden. 

* Cut plastic bottles in half and use them in the garden to as a cloche to protect plants from frost.

 

* You can take old CDs to charity shops to be reused. However if they’re scratched up beyond us, you can still re-use them as bird scarers. Affix them to a bamboo cane and they will rattle in the wind to deter birds from nibbling at your crops.

* You can reuse old car tyres to make planters, stacked 4 or 5 high, and filled with compost they make a well insulated tub to grow potatoes in.

* Old carpets can be used to suppress weed growth. If you use old fashioned wollen ones they will eventually rot away but beware as many modern carpets are treated with chemicals and will not break down.

* Old yoghurt pots can be filled with beer to create slug traps to help remove this pest in an environmentally sensitive way

* Reuse broken ceramics at the bottom of a plant pot to help improve drainage.

* If you are buying water butts, compost bins, bird feeders, benches etc for the garden try to buy ones with a high recycled content as possible to help complete the loop and help create end markets for recycled materials.

* Expanded polystyrene cannot be recycled but you can make use of it in your hanging baskets etc this helps drainage in exactly the same way as broken terracotta or ceramics would but has the added advantage that it provides additional insulation too. 

Feed your compost bin this summer

Shropshire Master Composters are urging residents to become home composters this summer, transforming their household waste into a nutrient-rich food to keep their gardens blooming.



Home composting is the perfect solution for all the long grass and pesky weeds that have shot up during the wet weather. As well as garden waste up to half of all your general rubbish could be composted.  Items such as kitchen scraps, teabags, crushed eggshells, shredded paper, tissues, cereal boxes, brown cardboard and vacuum cleaner dust can all go in the compost bin. Other more unusual items that can be home composted include coffee grounds and filter papers, nut shells, raspberry canes, denim, string and wool.


Once it is ready for use the compost can then be used on flower beds, veg patches, hanging baskets, or for feeding lawns to create a rich green grass and enriching your borders.  Most gardens simply cannot get enough compost, so dont buy it in when you can make your own for free!

For more information on how to get started visit: www.shropshire.getcomposting.com

Clun Show 2012

Volunteers from Shropshire Master Composters attending the Clun Show this year to promote home composting.

Clun Carnival & Show takes place every year on the 1st Saturday in August. For more information on this event visit www.clun.org.uk  

Oswestry Show 2012

Volunteers from Shropshire Master Composters are going to be working in partnership with waste managers from Shropshire Council and staff from Veolia to run a composting and recycling promotion at the Oswestry Show.

This is a huge annual agricultural show which we have been attending for a number of years now to encourage local people to compost more.  This year we are teaming up with the Council and Veolia so we can reach an even greater audience and hopefully encourage people to waste less.

6 volunteers are on a rota to staff the display throughout the day.  We will be on Stand 72, all day from 10am to 5pm.  So come on down. And come and see us, we have lots of information to give out.

Recycling plastic film in Shropshire

When we're out and about with Shropshire Master Composters we often get asked about all the plastic bags and plastic film which ends up in the bin.  But it doesnt have to be this way - you can recycle this material if you just take it back to the larger supermarkets in Shropshire which all allow you to recycle it at their in-store carrier bag recycling points.

What types of plastic film are accepted?

They accept any low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film which is sometimes (but not often) marked with a number 4. It's OK to include:

• plastic wrappers from bakery goods
• plastic breakfast cereal liners
• plastic toilet roll wrappers
• plastic bags from fruit and veg
• plastic carrier bags
• plastic bread bags
• plastic freezer bags
• plastic magazine wrap
• plastic shrink wrap 

What types of plastic film do they not accept?

• bubble wrap
• cling film

If you are unsure look out for the label on the packet which should say "recycle with your carrier bags at larger stores - not at the kerbside".

Where can I take plastic film?

The major supermarkets all offer recycling facilities for this type of material in their larger stores. Participating stores include the larger Asda, Sainsbury, Co-op, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose supermarkets.

What happens to the plastic film?

The supermarkets collect it at the front of the store and then they use "reverse haulage" so when new stock is delivered the empty truck takes away all their plastic wrapping. The plastic is recycled at a variety of UK reprocessors who use it to make recycled plastic carrier bags and rubbish bags.

Why recycle plastic film?

The average household gets through about 25 kg of plastic film each year, and while this seems like a tiny amount, it adds up to thousands of tonnes of the stuff across Shropshire. You can keep this out of landfill by taking it back to the supermarket. By recycling plastic it helps to reduce oil use, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.