Composting at refuse stations
Garden greenwaste that has been separated from other waste can be dropped
off for composting at any of the Council refuse stations for a reduced fee.
The greenwaste is shredded and composted for the Council
by City Care Ltd for around 12 weeks, in an open air windrow system
at Metro Place. The compost is then sold to Living Earth Ltd for
screening, blending and marketing. Some items and types of garden
waste are not acceptable for composting. See below for more information
on:
Garden waste accepted for composting 
Fresh
garden waste such as branches, leaves, shrub and hedge trimmings,
rose prunings and lawn clippings will be accepted at any refuse
station for composting. It is important to keep lawn clippings separate from other greenwaste.
Lawn clippings are composted in separate rows and used for landfill
rehabilitation because of the risk of chemical contamination from
some lawn sprays.
Clopyralid, found in products such as Clopyd 300, Versatill, Radiate, Turf Weed Control ,Void and No Lawn Weeds is used to control broad leaved weeds in lawns. It remains active in lawn clippings for 6 months or more and can effect the growth of desirable plants even after composting. If you have recently used these products on your lawn, the grass clippings are not suitable for composting.
We do not accept for composting...
- mixed loads of refuse and garden waste that can not be sorted
- tree stumps and branches more than 100 mm in diameter (approx
4 inches)
- flax and flax flower stalks
- bamboo
- cabbage tree leaves
- toi toi
- palm fronds
- gorse and broom in seed
- soil and roots heavily covered in soil
- old compost heaps
- stones
- plastic
- glass and metal objects
- twine or string
- newspaper
- animal manure
- oxalis
Any item in the list above is treated as refuse and should
be deposited into the refuse pit just as you would dispose
of other domestic waste. |
