Compost
Making Laverstoke Compost
We start off our compost by putting all the green waste that gets delivered in huge lorries through the shredder. We even shred large trees and tree stumps. It works by having two giant cogs with hooks that will rotate towards each other, crushing and tearing the green waste apart. 
If it finds something that is very tough, it will automatically reverse direction so the hooks pull it apart. We have yet to put something in it that it is unable to break down!
To start the compost, we first lay down a layer of manure, then add the green waste and the special preparations that are full of live micro-organisms. Like all living things compost also needs water and oxygen to keep these micro-organisms active.
The Compost Turner goes up and down the windrows turning the compost when it reaches 65ºC, 3 times in 7 days. This provides more oxygen to the micro-organisms so that they can do their job better. The moisture content of the windrows is also checked and water is hosed on to them as the compost is turned.
The liquid that comes from this process is drained and collected. We have two large tanks that can hold up to 1 million litres of this liquid.
The micro-organisms working in the compost produce heat which can be as hot as 80ºC in the windrows. You would get seriously burnt if you tried to put your hand inside. Because of this heat and the high moisture content, you can often see steam coming off the compost.
The heat and the steam it generates helps kill off the bad bacteria that may be present – such as salmonella, e-coli, etc – so it is nature’s way of sterilising the compost, just leaving the good bacteria to carry on it's work.
Our compost is tested every 5,000 tonnes we produce to make sure no harmful bacteria has survived.
After 8 weeks, the compost it ready to be used on the farm; we spread it on all our fields to help increase the health of our soil, so we have healthier plants, which in turn gives us healthier animals.
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