Machynlleth's Compost Crew Transforms Food Waste into Fertile Soil
In a quiet corner of a mid-Wales bus park, what was once a town's worth of rotting potato peels, expired sausage rolls, and banana skins now serves a vital purpose. This material is no longer considered waste; instead, it is being digested by millions of microbes that Steph Robinson and ffin Jordão, residents of Machynlleth, affectionately refer to as their 'co-workers'. Through careful management, this organic matter is converted into high-quality compost, which local growers use to cultivate vegetables. These vegetables are then served in the very same cafes and restaurants that originally contributed the food scraps, creating a closed-loop system.
Inspiring a National Movement
Steph, aged 49, explains their mission: "We're trying to complete that circle, but also build an understanding of why it's important that our soil and food are nutritious, that all this stays local, and what you can do with discarded things." The initiative, known as criw compostio (compost crew), was born during the lockdown period. ffin, a 42-year-old water resources manager, was inspired to create something positive from waste amid a pandemic-driven shortage of compost, often called 'black gold'. Together with Steph, who works in diversity and inclusion, they left their desk jobs to focus full-time on this sustainable venture.
Their community composting business offers Machynlleth's food establishments a local alternative for waste disposal, which is often cheaper than commercial options. Some businesses even choose to pay extra to support the non-profit team. This effort addresses a significant global issue: approximately one-third of all food produced worldwide is discarded. In the UK, this amounts to 6 million tonnes annually—the highest in Europe—contributing 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.
Operational Details and Environmental Impact
Using an electric van, criw compostio collects 800 litres of food waste weekly from 13 local businesses. They are not selective about the waste they accept, aiming to "meet businesses where they're at" while adhering to strict hygiene standards. Instead, they manually sort through the material, removing items like mayonnaise sachets, teaspoons, and even a plastic chicken foot. The waste is transported less than a mile to Lloyd's Coaches bus park, avoiding longer trips to anaerobic digesters in places like Bridgend or Oxford, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
ffin highlights the importance of their partnership with the local bus service: "It's a confronting thing, asking landowners to bring waste onto their land. There's a lot of trust in that. We're really grateful that Dan Lloyd got what we were doing straight away." This collaboration helps bring the often-hidden reality of waste management into public view, challenging stereotypes about it being smelly or attracting pests.
Community Engagement and Educational Outreach
The team actively engages with the community through volunteer programs, composting workshops, and events at markets and festivals. For instance, they hosted a 'smashing pumpkins' stall in November to repurpose leftover Halloween decorations. Over 18 months, the food waste is processed in aerobic digesters—large barrels with insulated jackets that foster optimal conditions for microbial activity. This process yields 11 tonnes of peat-free compost annually, distributed in pay-as-you-feel bags to residents.
Steph notes that the compost is not uniform, often containing egg and mussel shells, which benefit soil health. She says, "It's a visible reminder that it's made out of our own decayed matter. It's an experiment for people in how they feel about their waste and their food." Their circular economy model extends beyond Machynlleth; with funding from the National Lottery, they offer free composting schools that have attracted participants from across the UK, inspiring similar projects in locations like Newtown, Birmingham, Essex, and Carmarthen.
Benefits for Local Agriculture and Broader Implications
Local market gardener Roz Corbett praises the compost as "beautiful" and highlights its quality, which is often hard to find. She adds, "We buy in a lot of compost, so it's great to reduce transport miles of the inputs on our farm, and to know it's made with so much care and consideration." The compost is "biologically alive," with tests showing that its nutrients remain in the soil over multiple crop cycles without washing into rivers.
ffin reflects on the broader impact: "People tell us it gives them hope; in an increasingly complex world, having something tangible and direct that solves a simple problem locally is no bad thing. Instead, we add value to food waste—more than half of agricultural land worldwide is degraded, so making compost is always a good thing." This initiative not only reduces waste but also enriches local soil, supports sustainable farming, and fosters community resilience.
