Yorganics is brought to you by Yorkshire’s leading waste management company, Yorwaste, which is proud to support the circular economy with its locally-made, recycled compost.
Yorganics is brought to you by Yorwaste, Yorkshire’s leading waste management company, which is proud to support the circular economy with its locally-made, recycled compost.
From March to October, over 75,000 tonnes of green waste is collected from York and North Yorkshire households. This includes things like grass clippings, hedge trimmings, branches, plants and leaves.
The garden waste is taken to Yorwaste’s dedicated, Yorkshire-based composting facility to start its 16 week transformation from waste to quality organic compost that’s bursting with essential plant nutrients.
First of all, the waste is put through a large shredder to chop it into smaller pieces, increasing surface area and allowing the organic material to break down more quickly. At this point any plastics and metal objects, such as plant pots and rogue garden tools, are removed and recycled separately. Unwanted weed seed and pathogens are then killed off by heating it to a high temperature
Once shredded and sanitised, the waste is formed into large rows known as windrows. This is when the composting process begins.
During this stage, the windrows are regularly turned using a mechanical plant to distribute heat and moisture, improve oxygen content and maintain aerobic decomposition.
The material will naturally heat up as microbes and bacteria start to reproduce and break the garden waste down. Along with the moisture content, the temperature is constantly monitored to ensure it remains at a minimum of 65 degrees centigrade for at least seven consecutive days – which is critical for decomposition to occur.
For the next three to 12 weeks, the compost enters the stabilisation phase, where regular turning continues, and the temperature and moisture levels of the composting windrows is monitored.
The rate of carbon dioxide and heat release gradually decreases, indicating that the compost is now beginning to stabilise, and, at this point, it is put through a trommel, which is a type of drum that circulates the material at high speed to remove larger particles.
It is then fed through a wind-sifting machine, which uses a continuous jet of air to further screen the material and extract any litter. Any larger organic material is fed back into the start of the process and mixed with the green waste.
After screening, the compost is stored in stockpiles for a further four weeks to mature before it’s sent off to be bagged and used.
Once the Yorganics compost has received a final check to ensure optimum consistency and quality, it’s transported to a bagging facility in North Yorkshire. It is then delivered to local retail outlets for domestic use, or sold in bulk to farmers, horticulturists and professional gardeners.
This entire process ensures that Yorganics Compost meets the stringent PAS100 standard as set by the British Standards Institute, which is a widely recognised standard within the organics recycling sector.
For more information on Yorganics or to enquire about stocking our compost, please get in touch with the team.