Help our community composting project grow

by Generous Earth in Plymouth, United Kingdom

We did it
On 19th March 2024 we successfully raised £14,473 with 149 supporters in 28 days

We need your help to buy hot composting equipment to create a network of local community composting sites and tackle food waste in Plymouth!

by Generous Earth in Plymouth, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

With extra funding, we can hire a part-time coordinator to ensure the smooth running of the project and support and mentor our community groups. This will make the project even more sustainable in the long term.


We need your help to raise £12,500 to support community composting and tackle food waste in Plymouth! These funds will enable Generous Earth to step up to the next level and purchase three special Ridan Pro 400 food waste composting systems to showcase composting on a larger scale. These composters will be placed in Central Park, Devonport and Keyham in community settings to help them turn food waste into beautiful compost for use in the community. Each Ridan system can process up to 400 litres (200kg) of food waste per week which will greatly increase our composting capacity and speed! Any additional funding above the costs of equipment will pay for set-up costs of each of the Ridan composting systems as well as supporting community groups and local residents through mentoring and practical composting workshops.

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WHO WE ARE & OUR IMPACT SO FAR

Generous Earth is a composting project set up to create a network of local community composters in Plymouth that can turn your food waste into healthy living compost. We aim to showcase and encourage composting on different scales so everyone can do it! We have been supporting local organisations and community groups in their composting endeavours since 2019, transforming their food and green waste into healthy peat-free compost which nourishes the soil and recycles all those important nutrients. We have noticed that more people have contacted us about requests for large-scale food waste composting than anything else, which is where the idea for this project began. 

Education, knowledge exchange, and sharing best practices are at the heart of what we do. We have several demonstration composting systems set up at Snapdragons in Victoria Park and have secured the use of a pest-proof Scotty Hot Box composter for the Friends of Blockhouse Park and Stoke Village Hub. We have also successfully supported individuals and organisations to trial bokashi bins to manage their food waste where outdoor space is limited. 

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Our educational group visits have experienced different composting sites across Devon and Cornwall, including Proper Job in Chagford, The Marsh Community Composting Site in South Brent and Cafe Abundance Compost in Millbrook. We have also held workshops, hosted online ‘Composting Conversations’ and demonstrated how to compost using mulches at a range of community gardens.

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Generous Earth is underpinned by the Permaculture principles of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Shares. We address key issues through innovative nature-based solutions, especially around supporting and enhancing growing spaces, enabling better residential and community food growing, upskilling local people, empowering them to improve soils and grow and eat healthy local food, building a sense of agency and strengthening Plymouth’s food security. We align with and contribute to Food Plymouth’s work around healthy food for all and food for the planet.

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WHAT'S NEXT

We want to increase our impact by creating a flagship project that shows how food waste composting can be done on a larger scale with hot composting equipment. We will create circular systems that recycle food waste from local homes and cafes into healthy living compost for local gardens and allotments that can then be used to grow food, flowers and trees. We have an amazing opportunity to purchase three pre-loved Ridan Pro hot composters, saving us a huge amount of money in start-up costs as well as being the most sustainable option. Made in North Devon, each of these eco composters can process up to 400 litres (200kg) of food waste a week. They have insulating jackets to heat the contents inside, sterilising the food waste and speeding up the rate of composting. They can process a much greater range of food waste compared to traditional composting methods meaning even less is thrown away. The specially geared handle means turning and aerating the compost is so easy that even children can do it - and we hope they will as we want to host workshops and have educational sessions with local schools and businesses. This will be the first food waste composting project of its kind in Plymouth and we hope it will inspire and motivate others to get composting on this scale too!

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Plymouth City Council and its Green Community team are helping us identify sites for the Ridan composting systems. The first will be at the composting area in Zoo Field in Central Park. Once we have this up and running as our demonstration site, we will then set up sites in Devonport and Keyham, working with local community groups.

WITH YOUR SUPPORT WE WILL BE ABLE TO FUND:

Equipment: 

- Three Ridan Pro 400 hot composting systems - £3000 each

- Six rodent-proof maturation bins - £95 each

- A storage shed, small bins for food waste collection and other items of necessary composting equipment. 

The total for the composting equipment is £9,570 and we are asking for an extra £2,930 to make the total up to £12,500. These additional funds will help cover our set-up costs for the Ridan composting systems. It will also allow for ongoing support and training for community members. Anything we raise above this will be invested in making the project even more self-sustaining.

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REWARDS     

We've got lots of great rewards to thank you for your valuable support!

Become a Compost Hero (£35) and be first in line to add your own food waste to our first batch of compost, then take home a fully composted bag of rich living compost for your own garden or outdoor space.

Perhaps you'd like to get growing with our special Seed Packs (£7) or a year's supply of our Generous Earth Compost (£100 for 10 bags across the year)? You could also get composting at home with our How To Compost booklet (£10) or enjoy a tasty 6-week bread subscription generously provided by Heyl Bakery (£20).

We also have a range of workshops and experiences that you might like (£18 - 45), including online or in-person composting workshops, lunch at Crocadon Farm Cafe, tickets to Plymouth Arts Cinema, a willow weaving workshop, and guided tours of our new composting sites (once they are up and running!).

You can also help your workplace become more green by taking up our offer of onsite Composting Consultancy (£300), or write your business name into history by becoming a Business Sponsor of one of our Ridan composter units (£600).

A BIG THANKS TO:

- The Food Plymouth core enabling team for supporting Generous Earth from the very start. Generous Earth emerged from Food Plymouth’s collaborative engagement in the Plymouth Green Minds initiative and is part of Green Minds’ living legacy.  

- The PCC & Green Community team members who have helped bring Generous Earth to new sites around Plymouth.

- Nicky Scott for your advice and generosity over many years.

- Rachel Dobbs for the Crowdfunder advice.

- Jim Baldwin for the very quick turnaround of our film.

And a huge thank you to all the businesses, organisations and individuals who have supported our Crowdfunder by donating their skills, services and products as brilliant rewards.

Don't forget to follow our Facebook page for all the latest updates on our community composting project!

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£35 or more

6 of 40 claimed

Composting Hero

As a Compost Hero you'll be first in line to add your food waste in the inaugural filling of the hot composters, and be one of the first recipients of a bag of compost from the first batch of Generous Earth Compost!

£5 or more

Good Vibes

Receive good vibes from the compost critters.

£7 or more

Seed Packet with Seed Saving Info

One vegetable or wildflower seed packet with a Growing Resilience seed-saving handout plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£10 or more

How to Compost Booklet

A copy of our How to Compost Booklet plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£10 or more

16 of 40 claimed

Bag of Generous Earth Compost

A bag of Generous Earth Compost once the project is up and running plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£22 or more

4 of 40 claimed

Bag of Compost & How To Compost Booklet

A bag of generous earth compost and a How to Compost booklet plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£25 or more

Generous Earth T-Shirt

A Generous Earth logo t-shirt available in sizes XS - XXL plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£30 or more

6 of 12 claimed

Composting Workshop with Dr. Compost Nicky Scott

A place on an in-person composting workshop with Dr. Compost aka Nicky Scott, co-ordinator of the Devon composting network and author of 'How to Make and Use Compost'.

£30 or more

Composting Site Tour and Q & A

A place on one of our 1-hour in-person composting tours at one of the composting sites when up and running including Q&A and composting tips (for yourself or donate to someone on a low income)

£35 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Willow Weaving Workshop

A place on a willow weaving workshop on 31st March to make a garden obelisk.

£40 or more

6 of 12 claimed

Earth Pigment Workshop

A place on an in-person Earth Pigment art workshop - using art to learn about soils and our landscapes!

£40 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Be a Radio Presenter

Join FCR Presenter Steve Medlin on the Morning Show as his Co-Presenter on FCR Plymouth Radio LIVE

£40 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Co-Present a Live Radio Sow with Mimi!

Join FCR Presenter Mimi on her Friday Lifestyle Show as her Co-Presenter on FCR Plymouth Radio Live

£50 or more

Feeling Generous - T-Shirt, Compost & Seed Pack

A Generous Earth t-shirt, a compost bag and seed pack with seed-saving handout.

£100 or more

1 of 2 claimed

Bokashi Composting Bin Set with Bran

A Bokashi composting system with two bins and a bag of active bokashi bran with one-to-one support to get it all set up. Bokashi is Japanese for fermented organic matter and it is an innovative practical solution for recycling food waste in small spaces without a compost heap. Simply fill up one bin with layers of food waste and bran and once this is full let it ferment for a few weeks while you fill up the second bin and then swap.

£100 or more

Personalised Thank You

Your name on the thank you panel of the new Generous Earth banners taken to events and used at the composting sites and a place on an online course. Plus good vibes from the compost critters.

£100 or more

3 of 10 claimed

Compost For a Year

10 bags of Generous Earth Compost supplied to you throughout the course of a year.

£250 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Personalised Photoshoot with Hanna Collins Photo

A two-hour personalised photoshoot with professional photographer Hanna Collins providing you with 20 high-quality photos. Hanna specialises in family and brand photography and is specially trained for baby births. This would make a lovely gift for someone.

£250 or more

0 of 5 claimed

Personalised Group Composting Workshop

An interactive in-person workshop on soil health and composting plus Q&A for you and your group (community, family, or other).

£300 or more

0 of 2 claimed

Composting Consultation for Businesses

A consultation for your business to come and create a personalised plan for your composting needs.

£600 or more

0 of 3 claimed

Name a Composter!

A corporate sponsorship of a Ridan composter unit with your company logo displayed alongside Generous Earth’s plus your name on the thank you panel of the new banner. Or name it in memory of someone special.

£20 or more

2 of 2 claimed

2 Arts Cinema Tickets

A pair of tickets to a film screening at Plymouth Arts Cinema of your choice.

£20 or more

2 of 2 claimed

6 Week Heyl Bread Subscription

A heyl bread subscription entitling you to a loaf of their house Heyl loaf or multigrain for six weeks!

£20 or more

1 of 1 claimed

4 Bottles of Deluxe Brown Sauce from Jar Squad

4 bottles of Jar Squad's famous deluxe fruity brown sauce. Ingredients: plums, apples, onions, garlic, malt vinegar, sugar, salt, spices (allspice, cayenne, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cloves and cardamon). May contain traces of celery, milk, mustard, nuts, sesame seeds, soya and cereals containing gluten.

£28 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Lunch for 2 at Crocadon Farm Cafe

A gift voucher for lunch for two at Crocadon Farm Cafe just outside Saltash.

£35 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Flax Processing & Linen Cordage Worshop

A place on a Flax Project CIC workshop learning how to hand process flax straw into flaxen hair-like fibre and then turn it into linen cordage. Workshops dates are 19th April, 18th May or 22nd June.

£35 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Flax Corn Dolly Making and Straw Work Workshop

A place on a workshop with the Flax Project CIC learning the heritage craft of corn dolly making using flax. Take home some beautiful decorative straw work. Workshop dates are 20th April, 11th May or 21st June.

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