Home composting

Up to a third of waste in an average household bin is organic and can be easily composted.

Home composting is an environmentally friendly way to deal with some of your food and garden waste. It is easy to do and produces nutrient-rich compost for your flower beds and window boxes. It also means we send less waste to landfill.

What can I compost?

You can put a whole range of organic materials into a compost bin or wormery, including:

Egg shells and boxes
Raw fruit and vegetable scraps
Tea bags, coffee grounds and coffee filters
Small amounts of garden waste, eg prunings, weeds
Old flowers and plants
Small amounts of sawdust and shredded paper

What can't I compost?

Animal waste
Dairy products
Diseased or poisonous plants
Nappies
Meat, fish or bones

How do I start composting?

Southwark residents can buy a home compost bin kit or wormery kit at a subsidised cost of £10.

Compost bins

Home compost kits are ideal if you have a garden. The recycled plastic bins are available in two sizes and come with a five litre ventilated kitchen caddy, composting manual and access to a composting helpline.

The 220 litre bin is 90cm tall with a 74cm base diameter
The 330 litre bin is 100cm tall with a 80cm base diameter

The kitchen caddy can be used to hold your organic kitchen waste before you take it to the compost bin.

To keep your caddy clean, you can use biodegradable/compostable liners (these can be bought from your local supermarket), your old plastic bags (although these cannot be put in the bin) or a couple of sheets of newspaper that will soak up moisture and will decompose easily.

Wormeries

A wormery is smaller (60cm long, 35cm high, 33cm wide) than a compost bin so may be more suitable for homes with a small garden, patio or even a balcony. The wormery houses special worms that digest organic waste and break it down into compost and liquid plant food.

The wormeries are hand made by a London homeless charity, St. Mungo's. A wormery kit includes wooden wormery units, bedding block, worm voucher and an introductory worm farming guide.

Buying a home composting kit or womery

You have the option to collect these or for an extra £5, have them delivered to your home.

Collection

You can collect a home compost bin or wormery from the new reuse and recycling centre, 43 Devon Street, London, SE15 1AL between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

You will need to bring proof of address (eg a council tax or utility bill), photo identification (eg passport or driving licence), £10 in cash or a cheque (bring your cheque guarantee card).

Opening times:

Summer opening hours
1st April to 30th September
Monday to Sunday 8am to 6pm

Winter opening hours
1st October to 31st March
Monday to Sunday 8am to 5pm

Residents will still be able to order a Home Delivery through the process below.

Home delivery

To order a £15 compost bin kit (this amount includes £5 delivery charge) call Evengreener on 0845 130 60 90 or visit their website. Alternatively you can order by post. Simply send details of your product choice, name, delivery address, telephone number and email address, together with a cheque or postal order for the due amount to:

Evengreener - Southwark offer
FREEPOST RRSX-TXTE-RCCB
1 Whitehall Riverside
Leeds , LS1 4BN

Evengreener also offer a range of other compost bins, accessories and water butts. See their website for details.

To order a wormery kit send your name, address, telephone number, email address and a cheque for £15 (made payable to Veolia ES Southwark Ltd) to:

Home Composting Scheme
Veolia Environmental Services ( UK ) Plc
Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility
43 Devon Street
London
SE15 1AL

Compost bins and wormeries will be delivered within 28 days of ordering.

Organic peat free soil conditioner

Organic peat free soil conditioner can be bought from the reuse and recycling centre at 43 Devon Street (off Old Kent Road). The soil conditioner comes in 30 litre bags and costs £3 each, or three bags for £8.