An Isle of Wight Composting Champions scheme has been launched to train enthusiastic composters to spread the word about home composting within their local communities. 

The programme aims to raise awareness amongst the wider public of the benefits of composting, to encourage more people to compost at home and to support those who participate in home composting to ensure that they are successful in their home composting activities and achieve maximum rates of waste diversion.

Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into valuable, nutrient rich food for your garden.  Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in 3 months. 

Whether master composter or composting novice, volunteers are given training and a resource kit along with support from the council’s recycling team, and each other.  Composting Champions then use their knowledge and enthusiasm to answer queries, give advice, and encourage their local community in home composting, be it schools, church groups or their neighbours.  

Enthusiastically promote home composting in your area by almost any means, such as:

• Visit schools to talk about composting and/or to support the school’s composting/gardening activities.
• Provide advice on home composting to individual householders.
• Help develop community composting schemes.
• Set up displays to encourage home composting at garden centres, village fetes and other community events.
• Give talks to community, residents and allotment groups about the benefits of composting.
  …or even hold composting parties!
• Help out at larger Island events such as Chale Show
• Share your ideas and successes at Champion meetings 

You don’t need any prior knowledge of composting, you don’t even need to own a compost bin! If you are interested in being part of a team, are keen on gardening or the environment and want to share it with others this could be for you. 
To become a Composting Champion book your place on a free training day on 6th March by contacting recycle@iow.gov.uk or 823777.