What is Garden Waste?

Garden waste is any natural material, often produced by gardening.

For example, when we mow the grass, trim hedges, pull up weeds or cut down branches and wood.

These materials, along with some food waste, can in fact all be composted and turned into rich soil.

To find out more about the process of composting visit our composting page, which has videos, guides and activities for you to do at home or at school.

Discover

Reduce

Find out how to reduce Garden Waste

Reuse

Find out how to reuse Garden Waste

Recycle

Find out about Garden Waste recycling

Activities

3Rs Activities at Home: Plant Pots

27 April 2020/by Lucy Mottram

3Rs Activities at Home: Minibeast Bingo!

5 May 2020/by Anna Simkins

Minibeast Colouring Sheet

Compost Curriculum

Composting

Compost Life Cycle

Workshops

Find out about composting, growing plants and minibeasts workshops.

Global Issues

Climate Change
Sustainable Development Goals
Circular Economy
In 2017 garden waste made up 17.2% of household waste and recycling in the UK, and around 94% of local councils collect garden waste.
Garden waste is turned into compost, which can then be used for agriculture, land reclamation and as an ingredient in some multipurpose composts you can buy at a garden centre.
Garden waste that is not recycled ends up in landfill sites and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.
The Brush Turkey makes compost to incubate its eggs. The bird collects decaying material and then builds a mound. The compost heats up, allowing the bird to incubate many more eggs than it could sit on!
Composting toilets are a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by adding either sawdust, coconut coir, or peat moss after each use. This practice creates air pockets in the human waste to promote aerobic decomposition.
Compost can reach 70 degrees C in just a few days! Some people have actually tried to cook food in their compost heaps, but don't try that at home!