Frequently Asked Questions
What is Reclaim Organic Soil Conditioner?
Recycled garden waste from West Sussex households and local horticulturists that has been composted to the British Standard PAS 100, to produce a useful product for your garden.
What is composting?
A natural process whereby micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) breakdown organic matter and turn it into a soil like material given the right environmental conditions, such as air, water and temperature.
Where does my garden waste go?
Whether it is delivered to a Household Waste Recycling Site or collected at the kerbside, your garden waste is taken to composting sites within West Sussex.
What makes Reclaim Soil Conditioner different from usual garden centre compost?
This product is produced in-line with The Composting Association guidelines and conforms to the highest UK standard (PAS 100). It is organic, peat free and is a result of your recycling efforts.
Why should I use Reclaim Organic Soil Conditioner?
Using Reclaim soil conditioner will supply plant nutrients to your garden, benefiting soils, lawns and plants. It can be used for a variety of gardening needs, including:
Potting container plants and hanging baskets
Lawn maintenance
Fruit and vegetable growing
Flower bed preparation and maintenance
Buying this product also helps you complete the whole recycling process, called ‘Closing the loop’ - from providing the garden waste to buying back the finished product. This helps maintain a market for compost and ensures that recycling garden waste can continue.
Is there anything I can't use Reclaim Organic Soil Conditioner on?
Reclaim Soil Conditioner is not suitable for lime-hating plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas and certain Heathers.
Is Reclaim Soil Conditioner safe to use on my garden? Is it free from weeds and plant pathogens?
During the composting process as organic matter breaks down heat-energy is released. The process effectively pasteurises the compost as the very high temperatures generated by large, commercial compost heaps are sufficient to eliminate any biological, chemical or physical contaminants.
Reclaim Soil Conditioner is also produced to the highest UK standard – PAS 100, which means that the compost producers must adhere to strict guidelines that assures the safety of the end product.
AVAILABILITY
Is this something new / why haven’t I been able to buy Reclaim Soil Conditioner from you before?
In the past our Household Waste Recycling Sites have not had planning permission to sell goods on site. With the start of the Reclaim Contract and its subsequent development programme sites now have extra space in which bags of compost can be stored for sale and the relevant planning permission has been granted.
Where can I buy Reclaim Soil Conditioner?
It is available from 9 out of the 11 Household Waste Recycling Sites in West Sussex. The nine sites are:
Billingshurst
Bognor Regis
Burgess Hill
Crawley
Horsham
Littlehampton
Midhurst
Shoreham
Westhampnett, Chichester.
Why can’t I buy it at East Grinstead or Worthing Household Waste Recycling Sites?
These two sites are still awaiting redevelopment. Once this is complete planning permission to sell Reclaim Soil Conditioner from East Grinstead and Worthing will be sought.
For more information on development progress please read the individual site pages – East Grinstead and Worthing.
If I want more than a few bags, can I get it delivered straight to my home?
Bulk deliveries are available through our two main composting sites. Please contact them for more information and availability of the service in your area.
The Woodhorn Group, Tangmere, Chichester - 01243 781730
Olus Environmental, Wineham nr. Henfield - 01273 494040
THE BAG
What do I do with the bags when I have emptied them – can they be recycled?
Once the bag is empty it can be re-filled with your garden waste and taken to a Household Waste Recycling Site or to emptied into your kerbside green waste bin.
Within West Sussex we can only recycle plastic bottles that are made from PET or HDPE. Unfortunately, Reclaim Soil Conditioner bags are not made from those types of plastic so we cannot collect them for recycling. However, as soon as a market becomes available for the polythene film the bags are made from we will put steps in to recycle them.
Are the bags made from recycled plastic?
The bags are made from light-weight polythene film and are designed to protect the product that they contain. The bags will be stored on site in the open air. They must be durable to withstand all weather conditions and manual handling. Unfortunately recycled polythene film does not provide the same level of durability, therefore recycled plastic is not used.
