Volunteer gardeners looking after one of Bournemouth’s beauty spots were kept busy after receiving a large donation of compost.
Eco Sustainable Solutions, which handles green and food waste for both BCP Council and Dorset Council, offered free soil and compost to 30 good causes to mark its 30th anniversary.
Among those chosen to receive two bulk bags of Eco Compost were The Friends of Coy Pond.
Founded in 1998, the group is committed to preserving the tranquillity of the rockery and grounds surrounding the pond.
Volunteers meet every Tuesday, between 10am and 12 noon, during the growing season to look after the popular local attraction.
The Eco compost was used in the various gardens created around the pond including the Tropical Garden, Stumpery, Stairway to Heaven, Flowery Dell and Spring Garden.
Wayne Hancock, Chairman of The Friends of Coy Pond, said: “We’re very grateful to Eco Sustainable Solutions for such a generous donation.”
Eco is donating up to two bags of product delivered per cause free of charge as part of its 30th birthday celebrations.
Bryony-Mai Hammond, Marketing Executive, said: “This is our way of putting something back into the community and saying a very big ‘thank you’ for all the support we’ve received over the last three decades.”
Founded in 1995, Eco now has a £17m turnover and employs 53 people with sites at Parley, Piddlehinton and Weymouth.
Since the company began trading it has recycled more than 4.3m tonnes of organic material, preventing over 2m tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) from being emitted to the atmosphere – the equivalent of over 250,000 return flights to Australia!
Over the past 30 years, Eco has led a variety of sustainable projects from organic waste recycling, producing green power from food waste to developing, at the time, the largest solar farm in Europe.
It has also been instrumental in developing and promoting organic recycling on a national level, to benefit on a global scale.
Eco currently recycles over 235,000 tonnes of organic material each year, converting it into renewable energy or high-quality landscaping products such as certified composts, mulch and nutrient rich topsoil.
The company is currently building a new Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility at its Parley Eco Park. On track for commissioning this autumn, the plant will generate enough energy to heat more than 7,000 homes.
Eco’s Bryony Mai-Hammond is pictured with (left to right) John Hallett, Wayne Hancock and Al Hester. Picture: Andrew Diprose.