This year's Compost Awareness Week (3-9 May) isn't just about saving the planet (by keeping food waste out of landfill). It's about saving pennies too. The recession-busting theme for 2009 is how compost can help you grow your own fruit and veg.

 

To help spread the message, London's top (and definitely cutest) eco chef Arthur Potts Dawson (below, right) has joined the campaign. If you're in London, don't miss his eco-friendly Acorn House restaurant in Kings Cross and Hoxton's Water House and read Arthur's ideas about a 'People's Supermarket' in the Independent. “At Acorn House we compost 100% of our suitable waste on site and use the compost we make to grow herbs and other vegetables to serve in the restaurant," says Arthur. "I also ensure that any compost I buy is peat-free, as I’m fully aware of the damage caused to peat bogs and their wildlife through peat extraction for garden compost. It gets great results, and needn’t cost the earth.”

 

Need more incentive to get composting? Composting at home for just one year can save as much C02 as your kettle produces annually or your washing machine produces in three months.  And what’s more, in 9-12 months, you get free fertilizer for your garden! Those (like me) without substantial grounds, take heed. RecycleNow has oodles of helpful hints, from advice on plants that thrive in pots to all your composting FAQs.

 

To mark Compost Awareness Week, there will be events around the country, such as the Compost GiveAway in London's Finsbury Park on Saturday 9 May from 10am-3pm. There are 14 tonnes of compost up for grabs, so bring your own bags, sacks or boxes. There will also be free children's activities including face painting, a bouncy castle and seed planting, plus two compost advisors to answer questions and help you get started.

 

To be honest, I've got two wormeries and only a small patio, so I have plenty of compost (and 'worm juice') to spare too. Hang on, I think I'll offer it to the administrator of our local allotment scheme – if compost and worm wee don't move us up the waiting list, nothing will!

 

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