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Community project one step closer to make Bristol’s soil healthier
After a successful pilot, a food waste collection project is on its way to nourish Bristol’s soil.
In October 2024, Generation Soil began urging households to give up their food waste, which the group would then convert to living compost and deliver back to their doorsteps. Living composts are believed to contain fungi and bacteria that can benefit the soil’s health.
In other words, the group are trying to multiply the lifeline of Bristol’s soil by several generations.
is needed now More than ever
As of February 2024, 24 households across Bristol have joined the project under a free one-month trial and await live compost to be delivered to the doorsteps by Spring 2025.
The team uses a three-stage composting process to turn food waste into live compost – photo: Alex Montgomery
The team are calling for 36 more households to join the scheme without any fee for a month.
Alex Montgomery, founder of Generation Soil, explained that a teaspoon of truly healthy soil contains about 10 billion microorganisms, which is more than the number of humans on the planet.
He added: “Not all soils are created even. Unhealthy soils can harbour larger quantities of weeds and disease, stunt plant growth, and even worsen flooding.
“By creating living compost, we can return our soils to their optimum state. We aim to become Bristol’s biggest living compost producer and help the city improve its soil health.”
The team are aware that many might not have the knowledge and means to use the living compost returned to them. For this reason, they also provide educational workshops for all ages that cover the workings of the whole food system in detail.
The team are inspired to “fix” the imperfect food system, by making Bristol’s soil healthier.
Generation Soil offers a variety of plans to choose from, depending on the needs of the households.
Main photo: Karen Johnson
Read next:
- A continental cycle to save soil
- Food waste can save Bristol’s soil
- Farm event will explore soil’s hidden life
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