Why choose compost?
Benefits
Adding compost to soil provides a sustainable source of nutrients and carbon and a range of benefits that help to maintain and improve soil health.
Compost provides a useful source of slow release nutrients, not only nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, but also macronutrients such as sulphur and magnesium.
Adding compost to heavy or light soils can improve the physical attributes in several ways for example using compost to condition soil improves workability, resistance to soil compaction and erosion, benefits drainage and moisture holding capacity.
Compost adds organic matter which helps to support soil biodiversity (soil fauna and microbiological activity) and there is even some evidence that compost may even help to suppress some soil borne plant disease, too.
As a sustainable source of carbon, compost added to soil on a regular basis can help increase the carbon pool.
Walkers Compost is weed free. During the process of windrow composting any weed seeds are sanitised as it temperatures reach as high as 70°C.
Our compost is produced from locally sourced green and woody materials made up of vegetation, garden prunings, and grass cuttings.
By composting we not only divert waste from landfill but we a produce a quality and tested compost product capable of improving soil health and function and supporting plant growth.
Whether it is site clearance, green and wood waste collection or a waste drop off service if you are a developer or contractor, why not make us part of your Site Waste Management Plan? You could even use our compost and soils to help deliver sustainability key performance indicators such as increased recycling and recycled product use targets.
The Process
We produce all our compost in accordance with operational and monitoring standards associated with PAS 100 (the publicly available standard for compost) and the compost quality protocol.
Steps 1 - Waste collection and drop off |
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The source separated green and woody material that we use to make our walkers compost products are brought to site either from civic amenity sites or by landscape and arboriculture contractors. We check each load for quality and reject any where contamination with plastics, metal and glass could affect our great end products. Once accepted the green material is sorted and any timber, suitable for producing woody biomass and log, is chipping or seasoned to produce some of our Walkers Wood Fuel products. |
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Step 2 - Shred and windrow |
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Our sorted, clean, green material is then shredded and placed in long windrows on our extensive, custom built, concrete pad. |
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| Step 3 – Monitoring and turning | |
The windrows are turned several times and the moisture content and temperature monitored to ensure that the composting process is working effectively and that any pathogens in the compost are sanitised. Each compost batch reaches a minimum temperature of 65°C for 7 days during this phase to achieve sanitisation. |
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Step 4 – Maturation |
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Once the sanitisation is complete and temperatures begin to fall the product is nearly ready. We leave our compost to mature in windrows as the rate of decomposition slows down. |
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Step 5 – Screening and storage of final product |
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When we are happy with the that our compost is ready we screen the final product to the desired grade and send it to our store so that it is ready for use as soon as the customer needs it. |
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Step 6 - Quality Control - Batch testing |
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Each bulk batch of our final screened product is tested for nutrient content, metals, pathogens, stability, and germination response of planted seeds, free of viable weed seed, physical contaminants and stones so we can make sure the compost you buy is just right. |
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