RESIDENTS are being asked to take a leaf from this dalek inspired composting bin and help save rather than destroy the planet.

Green-fingered Jacky Mond won one of the distinctive bins in a compost competition run by The One Trafford Partnership.

The dalek-shaped compost bin is worth just over £20, but when filled it can equate to nearly £40 worth of store-bought compost. Store-bought compost can cost from 14p to 20p per litre, whilst creating compost at home is completely free.

Home composting is not only free, but an environmentally-friendly way of recycling food and garden waste. Once turned into compost through natural decomposition, it can be used to enrich soil in gardens and allotments.

The One Trafford Partnership, a collaboration between Trafford Council and Amey, launched the competition earlier this month to give Trafford residents the chance to win a bin and get composting.

Composting at home also reduces the amount of waste going into the green bin, helping the council to save money on disposal costs.

Executive member for environment, air quality and climate change, Cllr Stephen Adshead said: “Since April 2017, around 1,000 compost bins have been purchased in Trafford. It is estimated that a total of 103 tonnes of compost was created, saving £6,700 in waste disposal costs. This helped to protect other vital council services.”

“We would love to see more people composting in Trafford, especially since residents already recycle well. Trafford currently recycles 58.5% of household waste, which is higher than the national average and the best recycling rate in Greater Manchester. More and more people are looking into ways of reducing their household waste. Recent programmes like ‘War on Waste’ area a reminder that we all need to do our bit for the environment. Composting is just another environmentally-friendly way of dealing with some of our everyday waste and creating nutrient-rich free compost.”

For composting to work, ingredients need to be a 50/50 ratio of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ items. Green items are nitrogen rich ingredients which add moisture perfect for rotting and breaking down waste. Greens include fruit and vegetable peelings, salad leaves, grass cuttings, tea leaves and hedge clippings. Brown items are carbon rich ingredients which help to create air pockets within the compost heap. Browns include dried leaves and twigs, eggs shells, wood chippings, shredded paper and cotton wool.

To help get started with home composting and to purchase a discounted compost bin, please visit www.trafford.gov.uk/homecomposting