Gardeners Urged to Tackle Climate Change in the Garden

• Over a quarter (28%) of gardeners believe climate change is affecting their garden 
• Nearly a quarter (24%) say more green waste is produced in gardens as a result of climate change 
• 56% recognise recycling green waste is important to help combat climate change 
• More opportunities to help – 19% choose peat-free composts and around a third (34%) regularly home compost

With the new gardening season now well underway, and forecasters predicting another hot summer following the warmest April on record¹, a new survey² carried out by WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Know Your Compost Campaign, has revealed that over a quarter (28%) of the UK’s gardeners believe they can already see signs of climate change in their gardens.

Earlier blooming Spring bulbs is the most obvious sign cited by gardeners (60%), while nearly a quarter (24%) have also noticed an increase in the amount of garden waste being produced, such as grass trimmings and prunings.

Encouragingly, 56% understand the important role that recycling garden waste plays in helping to combat climate change³, but it’s a different story when it comes to putting this into practice. One in five (19%) choose to use peat-free composts and around a third (34%) of gardeners regularly home compost⁴. As the number of people with access to a garden in the UK increases – currently 85%⁵ – there’s still more opportunities for gardeners to help.

Campaign supporter, Diarmuid Gavin, is giving the green fingered a timely reminder about the ways in which we can help reduce the impact of climate change.

Diarmuid Gavin said:
“We are all now much more aware of climate change and gardeners are in a better position than most to notice how things are changing literally in their own back yards. Snowdrops came out very early this year and I’ve started to cut the lawn earlier than I did last year too.

“The good thing is that there are lots of ways we can help the environment in our gardens just by doing really simple things. Choosing peat-free composts which contain recycled materials is a great way to keep waste out of landfill and stop it rotting down to potentially create harmful greenhouse gases. Home composting is also easy and can cut down your average household bin by around 30%. And both deliver great results in your garden too.”

Top signs of climate change in the garden
In addition to earlier blooming Spring bulbs, such as crocuses and snowdrops, gardeners also reported noticing changes in the normal growing pattern of their lawns. Compared to previous years 44% stated that they needed to start mowing their lawns earlier in the season, while 36% noticed their lawns kept growing throughout the year, and 32% said they needed to mow their lawns more frequently as grass seemed to be growing quicker.

Gardening concerns for the future
The survey also revealed gardener’s top worries for the future. Water shortages was the main concern cited by 67% of respondents who felt that this would become more common, while 56% felt that this would mean their gardens would need more looking after to ensure plants and lawns were kept hydrated and soil kept in top condition. Worryingly, over a third (35%) believed that some of our native plants may no longer flourish, such as traditional cottage garden flowers like delphiniums and lupins, while 31% felt they would be able to grow a wider range of plants due to changing climate conditions, such as exotic species of cannas, palms, tree ferns and bananas.

Gardeners’ top tips
The top ways in which gardeners say they help the environment, include:

• regularly home composting (34%);
• having a water butt to collect rain water (30%); 
• growing their own fruit and vegetables (20%); and 
• trying to use peat-free composts (19%).

Record recycling - but more to do
With gardeners noticing that their gardens are generating more green waste (24%), the good news is that latest industry figures show more green waste is now being collected in the UK for recycling than ever before - around two million tonnes⁶. Approximately 55% of households in England now have a convenient doorstep collection service to recycle their garden waste⁷, while over one million home compost bins have been sold in the UK via WRAP’s Home Composting campaign.

Jackie Powell, Managing Director at compost producers Worm Tech Ltd in Cardiff, backs up the survey findings:
“We’ve seen an increase of approximately 30% in the amount of green waste we are processing compared to this time last year. While some of this can be attributed to the introduction of new local recycling services, it doesn’t account for the fact that we are seeing garden waste such as green foliage coming through in January and grass cuttings in February, which we wouldn’t normally see.”

Top ‘green’ tips for gardeners 

1. Choose peat-free composts that contain recycled materials – they are great for your garden and help to retain moisture which is important during hot, dry summers. Visit www.recyclenow.com/garden and download the Compost Buying Guide to find out where you can buy them. The Perfect Planting Guide also provides top tips on getting the best results from peat free composts. 
2. Get a home compost bin and make your own nutritious compost with left over fruit and vegetable peelings, teabags, eggshells and other compostable kitchen and garden waste. Visit www.recyclenow.com/home_composting for further information. 
3. Recycle excess garden waste via your council’s recycling services. Log onto www.recyclenow.com and use the postcode locator to find out whether a kerbside collection or drop-off point are available in your area. 
4. Use a water butt to help trap rainwater, conserve water and keep your plants well hydrated throughout the summer.

For more information on helping the environment in the garden, visit www.recyclenow.com/garden.