News

Cambridgeshire Carries on Composting!

The Cambridgeshire Master Composter Programme is recruiting more volunteers this year! You may now be familiar with the Master Composter Programme, which has been appearing in some Cambridgeshire Parish Magazines since last year. The Programme is being run by the County Council, working together with all the District Councils and HDRA Consultants, to promote home and community composting. Volunteers are required to provide a network of local, friendly advice and support to people who already compost and those who want to start.
Master Composter programmes were established over 10 years ago in the USA and Canada. These programmes have proved to be extremely popular and successful in promoting the benefits of home composting. The Cambridgeshire Master Composter Programme is the largest of its kind, with over 100 volunteers. Nearly 1,500 hours of voluntary work have been completed so far. Becoming a Master Composter is a great way to meet new people, learn valuable skills, provide leadership and benefit from being part of a team that makes a difference. Anyone over the age of 18 can become a Master Composter; you don’t need to be an expert composter (or be composting at all) or have any volunteer or community group experience.
As a volunteer you will receive training in home composting and related environmental issues (provided by HDRA - the organic organisation), a Master Composter resource pack and several day trips; including visits to a composting site and one of HDRA’s organic gardens. All training expenses will be paid for; you only need to provide your time. Training will hopefully begin in May 2003. Once the training has been completed, you will be expected to spend 30 hours over the following year promoting home composting. These activities will be tailored to your individual skills and could be anything from giving a demonstration to your next-door neighbours to giving a presentation to a class of school children or helping promote further compost bin sales. Upon completion of the training and 30 volunteer hours you will be awarded the title Master Composter and be invited to receive your certificate at an award ceremony.
If you are interested in becoming a Master Composter please contact Penny Holmes, HDRA Consultants, Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry, CV8 3LG E-Mail: .Telephone 024 76308202 or Fax 024 76308225. Alternatively you can also contact Emma McCrea, Waste Campaigns Officer for Cambridgeshire County Council on +44(0)1223 717572 or E-Mail: .
The Master Composter Programme is a partnership between HDRA Consultants, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. The project is being funded through a scheme that allows some Landfill Tax money to be used for research projects that will produce environmental benefits. This project has been funded by WREN using WRG plc Landfill Tax Credits.

April 2003