Transforming local communities and environments
Pop-up Compost joined: Veolia's Sustainability Fund 4 years ago
Make earth: recruit family, close friends and willing neighbours to contribute their food left-overs to urban compost projects using Pop-up Compost as a model; simple inexpensive and fruitful.
Waste is human failure, happening across the globe. Sending food-waste to landfill as refuse, destroys nutrition. This is usually by mixing food left-overs with poisonous things; cleaning fluids, chemicals, battery acids ... you name it we mix it and so, what could be food for the earth - compost - gets trashed. What should be the first stage in the rebuilding of earth - composting, then soil, then food and fresh nutrition - is pointlessly wasted. It is estimated that in this country, each individual throws away 1.48 kg of food remains, per week (multiply that by the relevant millions!). In a densely populated urban environment with big concentrations of medium to high-rise dwellings the proportion being retrieved and recycled is small. It need not be if residents - who are mostly very willing -are provided with a workable system that they trust. That's what Pop-up Compost has been building to achieve. We want to enlarge our scale. Please read on.
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
To generate the valuable resource of COMPOST you only need: a) settled space, outdoors or indoors like a garage; b) reliable sources of organic matter from participating supporters (including paper and card); c) patience and determination. None are hard to find, none are expensive. Pop-Up Compost wants to demonstrate this on a larger scale, involving more people. With this funding Pop-up Compost can produce rich, nutritious soil to fertilize gardens, micro-plots, flower pots and window boxes. All can benefit when this is available, close-to and at minimal cost. This pilot project aims to raise awareness by demonstration. Rescuing valuable sources of nutrition from under our noses. With ease, create fresh, clean soil for the urban gardeners in our area. Show how easy and simple it is, especially to children and young people. Make soil - save nutrients.
Steps to get it done:
With raised awareness & separation of food left-overs from other waste is more widespread recycling is easier The vicious circle is gradually broken.
Gallery
Location City of London
About the space
This was, and partially remains, a council estate, cleared and rebuilt in the 1970's to 90's and now largely transferred by Tower Hamlets to EastendHomes, a housing association. It is very close to Tower Bridge and was historicaly the site of an extensive Swedish settlement of timber suppliers from 1670 to 1966.
Council
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Journey
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Transforming local communities and environments
Funding was something else; 'A' star haha hahahaha. But we made it and now the next ambition. Stage one of the campaign set out in our manifest, notice, announcement call it what you will was to communicate our objectives to all the residents on the estate. So the campaign leaflet is being completed and should be getting posted next week. We are also busy recruiting volunteers and, of course, continuing the composting in the basement we occupy and which is receiving a freshening-up. Photo's to follow.
Whoop, 30 people have pledged since fundraising began!
On Saturday we had our stall at the market and invited the many children there enjoying the bouncy castle and other attractions. At first the drawing competition was not drawing that many then ... all of a sudden everyone wanted to join in and not entirely because of the prizes. There were some imaginative entries and the prizes were awarded by Mehmet Saffet Chair of TRA and there were plenty of delighted recipients!
Secured a number of pledges from residents and market stall-holders with a little nudge in the form of plums - not illustrated! Mushrooms are a side effect when compost is left to rest; not necessarily a bad thing in themselves but ... meanwhile tweeting and wrestling with facebook where I met an old acquaintance; another welcome side effect!
How will the money be spent?Target (inc. fees) £4,460
Costs Breakdown
This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. These costs have been confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified.
Target (inc. fees) £4,460
Our Volunteer List
Want to help?
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VolunteerThis is a not for profit community benefit society designed to generate benefits that are for the immediate residential populace in ways that demonstrate the means of achieving added benefits for the wider community.
We aim to generate compost that is available for local gardeners to make up for the poor quality soil in the area.
The compost is made from the left-overs that residents deposit in our secure collecting bin which then goes into one of three composting methods; wormeries, tumbling and hotbox, thelast two being anaerobic - ie starved of oxygen and generation of heat.
By doing it ourselves we want to demonstrate our model (a simple one), its viability on a large or small scale - hence pop-up - and encourage other groups to have a go.
In addition we aim to to demonstrate to a wider public the needlessness of destroying, on a vast scale, irreplacable nutrition that comes from the earth but is NOT replaced.
Landfill and incineration murder the soil we owe to our children.
Our mainstay volunteers are all residents on St Georges Estate on Cable Strreet, E1. This is in Whitechapel but close to Wapping and Tower Bridge.
Last year we processed enough to produce nearly a quarter of a ton of comppost in mint condition. This went into gardens on the estate saving money and nutrients.
DOING THE TON
Crowd funding will give us the wherewithal to make over a ton of soil.
Project Owner: PUBLIC PROJECTS LTD The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.
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