Sowerby Bridge News

Get Your Hands On Calderdale's ‘Black Gold’

Calderdale Council will be giving away 200 tons of its popular ‘Black Gold’ compost at the next Big Heap event in Sowerby Bridge on Saturday 26 September. The Council’s parks and streetscene section will give away the compost to anyone who turns up at the Milner Royd site between 10am and 3pm.

The only criteria are that you are a Calderdale resident (please bring proof of your address), and the compost must be used for non-profit making purposes. Please also bring a bag for your compost.

The Big Heap events have been running for three years and proved to be extremely popular. The innovative recycling scheme produces compost by mixing green waste from parks with fallen leaves collected by street cleaning teams.

The scheme won a Civic Trust Award for environmental innovation earlier this year, and also includes using the compost as a top dressing in Calderdale parks. Links have been created with schools and the community, who have got involved in using the compost to plant native wildflower areas in Calderdale parks.

Mark Dempsey, Support Services Manager for Calderdale Council Parks and Streetscene service, said:

“The composting project enables us to improve green recycling targets, comply with environmental legislation and improve public awareness of the benefits of compost, as well as reducing the amount of street waste being sent to landfill.”