The county council is recruiting master composters to educate people about the value and benefits of home composting. This environmentally-friendly process reduces the amount of organic waste sent to landfill, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, saves money and helps to improve soil fertility.
We want people to consider becoming volunteers - it benefits them as well as the community and environment as a whole. We would like to hear from people with a passion for protecting the environment, however, anyone who has an interest in this area is also welcome to apply.
Person:Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for environment and waste
In return for free training and resources, paid expenses and ongoing support, volunteers will have the chance to get involved in a number of activities that raise awareness of composting in the community. This is all to encourage more people to home compost and to promote the sale of subsidised compost bins.
Activities include giving demonstrations to friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues; visiting schools or community groups to give talks or run workshops about composting, writing articles for local publications, setting up displays at garden centres and community locations to encourage home composting, and helping to develop community composting schemes.
The initiative is supported by the county council's waste prevention project in conjunction with organic growing charity Garden Organic.
Groby resident John Mason is already a master composter and said: "I had a general interest in composting but had no expert knowledge in the area. I got involved as I had heard good things about being a volunteer and wanted the chance to get involved in new activities with new people."
People need to be over 18 to apply to become a master composter. Training for the new volunteers is due to start in March 2017, but applications are currently open to anyone who lives in the county with an interest.
If anyone would like to apply to become an master composter or would like more information about the role, visit lesswaste.org.uk/volunteering call Matthew Copley on 0116 305 7005 or email wasteprevention@leics.gov.uk