Greener waste at Milton Park
Published on 24 August 2022
We’re always keen to explore innovative approaches to increase the Park’s sustainability, efficiency and resource management to ensure we’re taking the best possible steps to build a better future – and green waste is no exception!
Efforts to manage waste produced at the Park effectively include establishing an estate-wide zero-to-landfill policy and securing our ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management Systems earlier this year.
Supporting these achievements and ongoing efforts behind the scenes is local Oxfordshire company, Happy Earth Soil, who we’ve partnered with to make sure our green waste is being recycled and repurposed in an environmentally friendly way.
About Happy Earth Soil
Happy Earth Soil was set up in 2020 by local married couple Adrian and Katie McLelland to create innovative composting solutions, inspired by their years of compost experimentation in America.
After relocating to the UK, they grew their relationship with the Park through Adrian’s role at Milton Park-based LTi Metaltech. After realising the clear value that Happy Earth Soil could bring to Milton Park’s green, landscaped areas, the partnership was quickly formed.
The two main products developed by Happy Earth Soil are their soil conditioner and leaf compost, proving highly popular among local garden centres and keen plant-growers. Produced using an extensive, chemical-free composting process, this method converts green waste such as grass cuttings and leaf mulch into 100% organic compost, free from harmful weeds, peat and bacteria.
Not only does this expert process enable waste to be widely recycled, it also significantly replenishes overused and overworked soil already in the ground with key nutrients and useful microorganisms, encouraging greater plant growth and biodiversity.
This has been proven through impressive scientific backing from a local soil testing laboratory in Brackley, meaning Happy Earth Soil can be certain of the quality of their products with their high nitrogen content and capability to retain moisture and revive soil structure.
This science plays out at Milton Park, where green waste is collected from majority of our occupiers across the 200-acre estate and the natural composting product is used as topsoil to boost the flower beds and our occupiers’ urban garden plots.
The combination of adopting new environmentally friendly initiatives at the Park while supporting local Oxfordshire businesses at the same time helps to push the boundaries of sustainability even further.
To find out more about Happy Earth Soil, visit happyearthsoil.co.uk
