SITA UK is giving a helping green hand to a community project in North Tyneside by donating 15 tonnes of compost to help volunteers grow fruit and vegetables.
The company has delivered a lorry load of compost to the community garden at the Good Life Project in Long Benton to help its volunteers fertilise the fruit beds at the site.
One of the company's employees, David Best, has a double interest in the project. As well as working at SITA UK's household waste recycling centre in North Tyneside, he is also one of 35 community volunteers who help out at the Good Life Project.
The compost was created from green material collected from households across North Tyneside and at household waste recycling centres throughout the area.
Initially the green waste is stored at the North Tyneside Waste Transfer Station at Wallsend, where it is bulked for delivery to Codlaw Farm and it is turned into compost.
The Good Life Project is a community garden project in Long Benton that grows fruit and vegetables used in community projects throughout North Tyneside. It relies on the support of volunteers and donations like this to keep operating.
It is supported by Justice Prince, which is a North Tyneside based registered community interest company that specialises in community engagement and empowerment, capacity building, training and developing enterprise.
David Best, who is a employee with SITA UK and a volunteer at the Good Life Project, said: "I've been a volunteer at the Good Life Project for 5 years now, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in gardening but might not have the opportunity or the knowhow to grow fruit and veg on their own. For me it's great to see that the green waste that local residents bring in to our sites getting turned back into something that really helps the local community."
Julie Cruddas, Project Manager of the Good Life Project, said: "This compost will be vital in improving the soil quality of our fruit beds so we can grow a whole range of fruit trees - we have everything from apples and pears to blackberries and gooseberries on the site, and also grow a wide range of vegetables. I'd like to thank SITA UK for this extremely helpful donation."