Is your garden ruining the Earth?
Some gardening practices can be deceivingly harmful. One of the biggest culprits: using peat.
According to a report by Natural England, almost three quarters of England’s deep peatlands are now damaged or degraded.
The report estimates that our damaged peatlands are releasing almost three million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year – that’s the around the same amount as all the buses in the UK. Not to mention the damage caused to peatland habitats and wildlife.
Peatlands act like a carbon reservoir, but this reservoir (which stores a total of 580 million tonnes of carbon) is leaking. In fact, the annual CO2 emissions from these damaged peatlands is equivalent to the average CO2 emissions of 350,000 households.
Of all the peat used in the UK, 70% is by amateur gardeners
“England’s peatlands are a crucial buffer against climate change but have been extensively damaged by centuries of inappropriate management. We have to stop the rot and ensure that peatlands are properly looked after as one of our most precious environmental resources,” explains Helen Phillips, Natural England Chief Executive.
Peat is formed over thousands of years through the build-up of plant material that hasn’t decomposed completely thanks to boggy waterlogged conditions. During this formation process peat captures CO2. But when peatland is disturbed, much of it is released back into the atmosphere. This is what has been happening in recent years.
Give peat compost the heave-ho
If you’re still using peat compost, simply switch to a peat-free alternative. And, if you want to be even greener, why not make your own compost? Turning your food scraps into compost cuts down on landfill rubbish. It also reduces CO2 emissions from transporting compost to and from your local garden centre.
According to the Waste and Resources Programme (WRAP), UK households bin around 6.7 million tonnes of food waste every year – 40% of which is fruit and veg waste, which could have easily been turned into compost.
Starting your own compost bin is a simple way of recycling your old food into new soil.
Is it the end of the road for power tools?
Manual gardening tools are more environmentally friendly than those powered by fossil fuels or electricity. They are also quieter and less damaging to air quality.
These have come a long way from the labour-intensive machines of the past and are now often light and easy to operate.
The uncomfortable truth about patio heaters
One unexpected carbon culprit in the garden is the patio heater. An average model emits about the same amount of CO2 in four hours as the average car does in a day.
Gardening reduces your carbon footprint
On the whole, tending a garden could help reduce your CO2 emissions. Celebrity gardener Chris Beardshaw says: “It’s time for the green-fingered gardener to help the environment by learning about the benefits of recycling their garden waste and at the same time buying products for the garden that contain recycled materials.”
Three ways to cut down on peat
- Use a peat alternative (often made from bark or coir)
- If you want to use peat, opt for products that only contain small amounts
- For the ultimate eco option, create your own compost from organic food scraps
Every BIG helps
- You may be able to get a composter from your local council. Use it to recycle vegetable waste from your kitchen
- Buying peat-free compost makes a difference. Each year, the process of peat extraction in the UK is responsible for more CO2 emissions than 100,000 homes
Mythbuster
Much of rubbish isn’t rubbish at all. A lot of food waste can be turned into compost rather than thrown away.
Team Green Britain
and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic
Games Ltd (LOCOG) do not endorse any of the products, companies,
organisations, opinions or websites that have been mentioned in this
article. The content of this article has merely been provided as
background to, or discussion on, various topical issues relating to the
environment and it is not necessarily representative of the views of
Team Green Britain and LOCOG. Further, any figures and calculations
noted in this article are estimates (unless otherwise specified), and
may vary in light of numerous factors and readers are advised to
undertake their own research in relation to the facts and figures
applicable to their particular circumstance.