Dorset’s organic waste recycling specialist Eco Sustainable Solutions is celebrating its 25th anniversary by offering free landscaping products to community and charitable projects.
One of the first recipients is the Boscombe-based Grounded Community which helps people learn to grow vegetables and fruit, understand the benefits of sustainable horticulture for the planet, and reduce food poverty.
Eco’s commercial director Peter Hardy dropped off 12 bags of multi-purpose compost and soil at the charity’s base behind St Clement’s Church in Boscombe.
Grounded will use the quarter tonne of materials in its own gardens and for distribution in the wider community.
Peter said: “One of the unexpected outcomes of the pandemic we are living through has been the emergence of a new spirit of co-operation and collaboration in all sorts of areas, not least in our collective appreciation of local green spaces. It’s in that spirit that we are celebrating our anniversary by supporting Grounded and other community causes.”
Reflecting Eco’s commitment to a net zero emissions society, and to highlight how that will change the way the company operates in future, Peter delivered the bags in a 100% electric van from Hendy Nissan.
He added: “As more vehicles go electric, there are real opportunities to create a more circular waste collection system with a bit of joined-up thinking. In future, more cars, vans and trucks will be powered by electricity or green gas.”
The donation was welcomed by Michael French, Projects Co-ordinator at Grounded, who said: “Our goal is to show people how to sustainably provide their own food in a town. We are all about collaboration, education and helping each other, and the business community is part of that. We’re grateful to Eco for their highly practical support and sharing in our aim to help more local people grow their own food. One of the things we do is collect supermarket food surplus and redistribute it, and we are keen to explore local composting.”
All the materials being offered to charities by Eco have been processed at the company’s purpose-built recycling and renewable energy site in Parley, Eco Park.
Eco has recently announced plans to build an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) on the site that would help process an extra 60,000 tonnes of commercial and household waste.
Up to a fifth of that would be recycled and the rest would be used to generate more low-carbon energy.
Michael added: “The Grounded team are looking forward to a tour of Eco’s site to explore mutual learning and future collaboration.”