WORMS HELP BIG HANNA STRIKE BLACK GOLD IN SKYE

An innovative recycling scheme on Skye that turns catering waste into top-quality organic fertiliser has struck “black gold.”

Two vermiculture units (worm boxes), which generate a steady supply of wormcast – a highly potent plant growth material – have just been added to the growing battery of composting equipment at the Highland Council project at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

Small amounts of the wormcast, referred to as “black gold” can have a dramatic effect on plants, making them stronger, more disease resistant and heavier cropping.

The worm boxes and a new custom-built cardboard shredder have joined “Big Hanna”, a recently-installed food composter at the project.

As well as the usual uncooked organic material, Big Hanna is capable of converting all manner of food waste, including meat, bones and fish, into a highly nutritional, additive-free compound that can be used to nourish fruit, vegetables and flowers.

It is the type of equipment Highland Council is keen to encourage communities to use to convert waste into a constant supply of compost. Increasing use of such schemes will reduce the amount of waste being transported on the area’s roads, cut disposal and provide more fertile soil for gardeners and farmers, allowing more fruit and salad crops to be grown locally, as well as assisting the council to reach its recycling targets.

The project is funded by the Highland Council and the Western Isles, Skye & Lochalsh LEADER+ Programme, with in-kind contributions from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

One of the driving forces behind the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig scheme has been Kyle and Sleat councillor Bill Fulton, who also sits on the local authority’s waste management committee. Cllr Fulton approached Tecorr (Technologies for Organics Resource Recovery) waste management consultants from Fairlie in Ayrshire with a view to installing the equipment at a public building to try out its usefulness in the council’s overall Waste Management Plan.

Cllr Fulton said: “In 1999 the Highlands produced some 500,000 tonnes of waste, of which almost 98% went to land fill sites. The Highland Council has pledged, subject to funding, to increase the current 2% of recycled waste to 25% by 2006, in line with Scottish Executive targets. By involving the community members in schemes such as this, it is hoped that the people of the Highlands will begin to adopt a ‘greener’ attitude to waste disposal”.

At Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the aim is to reduce the volume of waste sent to land fill sites by half by the end of next year. A dedicated recycling room will serve as a training centre, to disseminate good practise to other businesses and groups in the area. Work is also underway to identify a site on which to erect a polytunnel, where project manager Donald John Campbell, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s caretaker-in-residence hopes to grow flowers and fruit and vegetables, which will be used in the college kitchens.’

The equipment and machinery for the project was installed and commissioned by Ron Gilchrist of Tecorr Consultants who are currently designing a recycling plant for Banchory to process 35,000 tonnes of rubbish annually and one for Glasgow to process 100,000 tonnes.

Mr Gilchrist said: “Donald John has a real passion to make the processes work and for the facility to serve its function as a demonstration centre for the technologies involved. This equipment is in very good hands, and by Easter he will have developed the skills and experience to deliver practical training at the college”.

“Once everyone sees just how clean and straightforward the process is, units like this will be found throughout the islands and isolated communities across Scotland. Learning to convert rubbish in “black gold” is biotechnological alchemy”.