Rapid growth of countrystyle's unique composting plant

A new £4 million In-Vessel Composting (IVC) facility in Ridham – a first in Kent – has already proven to be an immense success, with over 600 tonnes of organic waste a week being processed even though the facility has only just opened.

Owned and operated by Countrystyle, the South East"e;s leading waste management company, the facility is capable of processing 35,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial organic waste a year. It is, therefore, extremely encouraging to see the site running at such a high capacity in these early stages, clearly demonstrating a positive outlook for Countrystyle"e;s determination to bring the South East to the forefront of green issues.

The organic waste material, which includes catering, kitchen, garden, horticultural and industrial organic waste, is collected from different sources around the southeast by Countrystyle"e;s own extensive fleet and delivered to the facility in Ridham. It is then mixed, shredded and processed into peat free, sustainable compost.

Currently the company produces, sells and delivers approximately 400 tonnes per week of this eco friendly and "green" compost to farmers across the South East. With fertiliser costs rising dramatically recently, this is a tremendous benefit to the farmers – providing a low-cost sustainable solution that is far better for the soil.

The advantages of this system are many as the compost, once spread upon the fields, will break down the soil more efficiently, provide it with nutrients and integrate it with more organic matter. The benefits also include soil conditioning, improved soil structure, mulch, micro-organism growth promotion and weed suppression. The end result is better crops for the farmers and their clients.

Countrystyle maintains a strict regime of quality control to ensure its compost is of the highest standards. Following rigorous trials and tests, its produce has tested negative for salmonella on all counts, this is a clear signal that Countrystyle is achieving high standards converting organic waste into reusable end products, fit for purpose, peat free and safe to the environment.

The site is another triumphant step in the company"e;s efforts to divert Kent"e;s waste away from landfill and ensure that, instead, it is put to good use. This has also been displayed at Maidstone"e;s premiere shopping centre, Fremlin Walk, where the company has successfully prevented 99.7% of the centre"e;s waste from going to landfill.

A fully enclosed operation, the site combines an organic waste reception-processing building with six IVC bunkers. Complete with ventilated floors and wireless data logging probes, each bunker is equipped to send a constant stream of data back to the central control computer. The pasteurisation cycle can then be managed at all times to comply with ABPR (Animal By Products Regulations). This ensures conformities such as weed seed destruction and EU composting standards are met.

With Kent"e;s first state of the art composting site in full swing, Countrystyle is closer than ever to achieving its goal of cleaning up the South East and, in the long run, playing its vital role in protecting the future of the environment.