WILTSHIRE Wildlife Trust is recruiting more compost ambassadors to join its growing network of 130 trained volunteers across Wiltshire by holding two free one-day training sessions, one in Devizes and one at Langford Lakes nature reserve.

The Devizes workshop takes place on Sunday, March 28, from10am-2pm at the Trust’s headquarters. The Langford Lakes workshop takes place on Saturday, April 24 from 10am-2pm. Both include a light lunch and both sessions will need to be booked as places are limited. For further information contact Sara Cundy on 01380 725670, ext 235 or e-mail sarac@wiltshirewildlife.org Ms Cundy, the Trust’s waste minimisation officer, said: “Wiltshire Compost Ambassadors is a network of compost enthusiasts who help to promote home composting in the county. The group spreads the word about composting as well as offering practical advice.

“To be a compost ambassador, the minimum requirement is to attend a one-day training course, but we hope that applicants will also be able to spare a few hours occasionally to help out at events or help to get composting started in their workplaces, local schools and/or their local pubs.”

The training course is run by the Trust in partnership with the Waste Resources Action Programme and attendees will be brought up to speed with the most effective ways of composting, using various techniques such as wormeries and Bokashi, in addition to normal compost bins. They will also find out about food waste digesters such as Green Cones and Green Joannas and how to “trouble-shoot”, for example if someone has smelly compost or problems with rats.

The compost ambassador scheme is funded by Wiltshire Council and has helped divert many tonnes of household waste from landfill.

Ms Cundy added: “Half the contents of a usual dustbin can be composted, from vegetable peelings and fruit scraps to paper and cardboard, hedge trimmings, teabags and coffee grounds. If left to rot down in landfill, they release the climate-changing gas methane into the atmosphere, so composting is a simple but effective way of reducing our carbon footprint.

“We find that the help offered by our ambassadors often encourages a household to taking other opportunities to live sustainably.”