United Kingdom
If I use compost bought from my local tip will it be free from chemicals. Do the chemicals leach out during the composting process or are they still in the compost?
- 19 Sep, 2011
Answers
There can be 'anything' in municipal compost. If the donors have been using chemicals in their gardens then that will still be present in the compost. The objective of council omposting schemes is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill so they accept anything - let the compost user beware.
19 Sep, 2011
Might be best to use it just for soil conditioning rather than pots and tubs?
19 Sep, 2011
I suppose it depends what people have dumped in their green bins. I wouldn't knowingly put chemically treated garden waste in mine but who knows who else would? Don't forget you are recommended to put in "blighted" fruit and vegetable waste and things that couldn't go in your compost heap. I bought some last year and it had bits of blue plastic in it and the plants didn't establish very well at all. Buyer beware!
19 Sep, 2011