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Choose a good compost/fertiliser

What’s our planet’s most efficient natural method of storing carbon? You might be thinking forests – maybe the Amazon?
While the ocean and the forests are our largest ‘carbon sink’, peatlands are another important natural carbon sink. Peatlands cover 3% of the planet but store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests (The World Economic Forum).

Peatlands cover about 12% of the UK, but currently they are in a pretty bad shape. Office For National Statistics suggests that on the whole peatlands are actually emitting, rather than storing carbon. This is due to a range of factors, but one way that all of us can help to reverse this is to stop buying compost with peat – you can even make compost to save money. Get rid of unnecessary peat and double your positive impact and cost savings by making your compost from waste.

By making compost or using peat-free compost, you can contribute to preserving nature and reducing climate change. A ban on peat sales in garden products is expected to come into force soon, and there is a wide range of peat-free compost available for purchase. Using peat-free compost will bring multiple benefits including:

  • Restoring our peat bogs and maintaining our natural carbon sinks.
  • Protecting the wide range of plants and wildlife, which need rich peatland areas to breed and live.
  • Discouraging companies from greenwashing by not purchasing products with misleading labels: 'organic' and 'environmentally friendly' doesn’t always mean peat-free!

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