Visited the Enrich Composting facility in Meath. The facility accepts Green waste from Landscaping and Council Brown bins from around the country. Material from Landscaping etc is chopped up and layed out in large windrows. The Nitrogen / Carbon balance is judged by eye and experience. The rows are turned each week to introduce oxygen and maintain the temp and breakdown process. It take just12 weeks to complete, the material is then sieved and blended depending on the application. The temp gets up to over 70 degrees, enough to kill seeds and pathogens such as e-coli. Steam can be seen rising from the rows.
The compost is sieved and larger bits put through the system again. They remove plastics etc from material entering the system but some smaller bits such as plant tags etc do get through.
A 20 tonne load cost 400 euro. 1 tonne bag approx 100 euro. The compost is not “Certified Organic” you make your choice I suppose!
Gardening & Permaculture Design 