From food waste to flowerbeds

West Berkshire Council has been helping food and garden waste come full circle this summer, with a new pilot scheme run in partnership with Veolia, West Berkshire Council's environmental partner. The scheme saw the delivery of free soil conditioner to parish councils, community groups, allotments and charities across the district.

Throughout August, deliveries were made to support local growing projects, community green spaces and initiatives that boost wildlife and biodiversity. Around 1.5 tonnes of peat-free, certified organic soil conditioner was dropped off to each recipient by Veolia using a convenient "drop and go" delivery service.

The soil conditioner is produced at Veolia's Padworth In-Vessel Composting Facility, where food and garden waste collected from households is carefully processed in a monitored environment of heat, airflow and moisture - creating the perfect environment for composting. Within just ten weeks, the material transforms into certified, peat-free and organic soil conditioner - a great example of how recycling food and garden waste benefits the local environment and community.

The pilot proved extremely popular, with requests far exceeding the number of deliveries available. In total, the soil conditioner was delivered to 6 allotments, 1 school, 2 charities and 4 parish councils across West Berkshire. Hundreds of allotment holders and volunteers are already putting it to use to grow food in vegetable gardens, support wildlife, and keep community spaces thriving.

Here's what some of the community groups said about how the product was used: 

• We have extended our vegetable plot from 15sq m to 40sq m - Friends of Linear Park
• All gratefully received by some of our 103 allotment plot holders - Purley on Thames Parish Council
• A local volunteer group alongside the council used the soil conditioner in one of our carparks that the parish council maintains where we planted a bee and butterfly friendly border in April - Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council

Cllr Stuart Gourley, Executive Member for Environment and Highways at West Berkshire Council, said:

"This initiative highlights how recycling can directly benefit our communities. By turning food and garden waste collected from households into a sustainable soil conditioner, we've been able to support schools, allotments, parish councils and community groups across West Berkshire.

"It's a practical example of a circular economy in action, and we're pleased that this initiative has provided real value to local projects while also supporting our wider environmental goals. We look forward to building on this success with more projects like this in the future."

David Matthews, General Manager at Veolia, said:

"This pilot scheme to give soil conditioner away to help boost biodiversity in local gardens showcases the circular economy in action, with food and green waste collected from households in West Berkshire being converted into soil conditioner at our In-Vessel Composting Facility in Padworth.

"The soil conditioner is peat-free, meaning peatlands that store carbon dioxide are not impacted as part of its production, which helps combat climate change and protect important environments. We look forward to supporting future giveaways of free soil conditioner so that residents can have a positive impact on local soil health and biodiversity."