Recycling naturally

Wild waste gardening

WASTE is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues we all need to address. The human impact on the planet, which includes the problems of waste disposal is responsible for the increasing loss of wildlife habitats.

Avon Wildlife Trust has taken a novel approach to tackling this problem. At Willsbridge Mill, an environmental education centre on the edge of Bristol they have designed a demonstration   'Wild Waste Garden'. The garden shows how household and industrial waste materials can be put to a creative and imaginative use, and therefore diverted away from rapidly diminishing landfill.

A local community artist worked with an enthusiastic band of Trust volunteers to transform a overgrown garden plot into a designer garden with a difference. Divided into 3 areas, the garden celebrates the vital ingredients required for a flourishing garden - water, earth, and sunlight.

The earth garden takes on the form of a giant seed pod, a raised bank disguising buried waste hardcore and enclosing a cluster of tyre planters. Filled with home made compost the tyres yielded a bumper harvest of vegetables in its first summer. From 2005 legislation bans the disposal of all tyre based material at landfill. The growing tyre mountain will require drastic action to find alternative uses.

The fish shaped water garden is defined by an edging of pavement inspections covers and radiators. Sunken baths become wildlife ponds, washbasins marshes whilst washing machine drums support a cascade of planting. Aquatic habitats are becoming increasingly rare in this country - creating a pond in your own back garden couldn't be any easier using your own redundant bathroom suite.

The sunlight garden is a patio area - sunken 'rays of sunlight' made from reclaimed brick, stone and roof tiles, provide planting spaces for ground cover plants and fruit trees as well as a space to sit and relax.

Creating such a contempory development in a natural setting has provoked a great deal interest. Three generations of family stand in wonder. Younger members spot and count the range of different items used whilst older members comment on how things were always reused in the old days.

Sadly some visitors are dismissive but this is just the attitude we need to change. We cannot continue this unsustainable culture of filling up skips and buying the new products made from finite resources.

A free set of colourful postcards explaining how to create the garden can be obtained by sending 35p stamps and your address to

Avon Wildlife Trust, Willsbridge Mill, Willsbridge Hill, S.Glos, BS30 6EX

or visit the garden there which is open all hours.