Norfolk's Perfect Compost Couple
The artistic talents of Norfolk's Master Composters were put to the test when they were challenged to create life size male and female sculptures from compostable materials during a training day at Holt Hall.
With the help of Norfolk artist Karen Whiterod, the team created a female figure from grass and leaves and a male figure from twigs and cardboard, to create a couple which symbolises the ideal 50/50 mix of green and brown materials - perfect partners - that make great compost.
The sculptures will be on display at the Recycle for Norfolk stand at the Royal Norfolk Show. They will be used to demonstrate how, by following the 50/50 green and brown recipe, one of the biggest challenges of summer composting - where large volumes of mown grass can become a sludgy mess - can instead be turned into rich compost ready for use in the garden.
Master composters are volunteers helping to promote the benefits of home composting to Norfolk residents. Their training day also concentrated on alternative methods of composting including the latest results of trials carried out using "Bokashi", a new fermentation system which is designed to compost cooked and uncooked kitchen waste. Other systems such as tumblers, wormeries and food digesters, including the "Green Cone" were also reviewed.
Speaking about the sculptures, Ian Monson, Norfolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste said: "By creating these sculptures, Norfolk's Master Composters have shown they've got hidden talents and I am sure their "perfect partners" will help people improve the quality of their compost."
"They also help deliver another the serious message; that composting is a great thing for us to do because it keeps waste out of landfill sites where, buried underground without oxygen, it would rot and release methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere."
