Composting

Yorwaste and its subsidiary company, SJB Recycling Ltd, compost over 200,000 tonnes of green and organic waste each year.

All our composting operations are open windrow operations, composting grass cuttings, leaves, weeds and hedge trimmings collected from household waste recycling centres, kerbside collections and commercial collections.

Open windrow composting is a managed process in which biodegradable green waste is broken down by naturally occurring micro-organisms to produce a stable residue. Waste is collected and brought to the site where it is checked to ensure it is of sufficient quality. It is then shredded and arranged into windrows, which are elongated piles shaped for composting. Aeration is encouraged by mixing of the material and regular mechanical turning.

Bacteria break down the material to produce heat which transforms and sanitises the product, turning it into rich, dark compost.

At the end of the process we produce a high quality soil conditioner that is accredited, at some sites, to the national BSI PAS 100 composing quality assurance standard, certified by the Association for Organics Recycling.