Conwy residents' garden waste put to use in primary school project

Pupils at Ysgol Porth y Felin got their hands on some free compost provided by Bryson Recycling, which the enterprise had collected as the contractor Conwy County Borough Council's brown bin service.

Ysgol Porth y Felin recently introduced a raised bed garden for each class in the school, something that was previously only available in the infants department.

An Ysgol Porth y Felin and school council member tops up a planter with water. Picture Mandy Jones

A large quantity of compost was required for this new project and the school were able to get this free of charge from Bryson Recycling.

Schools are becoming increasingly active in promoting nature and encouraging pupils to grow their own flowers and vegetables as part of the curriculum.

Paul Thomas, principal at Ysgol Porth y Felin said “We are delighted to now be able to provide pupils throughout the school with access to their own garden, which offers many learning opportunities as well as health benefits.

Ysgol Porth y Felin school council members with John Franks, team leader of Bryson Recycling and Gareth Walsh, general manager of Bryson Recycling. Picture: Mandy Jones

"Through this child led initiative we have provided each class with a budget and the pupils get to decide what they will grow. Some have chosen to grow flowers to brighten up the school grounds, while others will be growing a range of vegetables which they plan to sell to parents to help raise funds for the school.

"We would like to thank Bryson for providing us with this compost which would have cost us a significant amount of money to buy."

John Franks, team leader for Bryson Recycling and an Ysgol Porth y Felin pupil. Picture: Mandy Jones

Since the service started in April 2020, over 13,500 tonnes of garden waste has been collected, all of which is used to make nutrient rich compost at a local composting site based in Llanddulas.

Gareth Walsh, General Manager at Bryson Recycling, said “As a social enterprise, we are always looking for innovative ways to work with the communities where we provide our services. By providing free this compost to Ysgol Porth y Felin it has helped them cut the cost involved with improving their school gardens, whilst also helping to improve the health and wellness of their pupils. We would like to thank all householders who use our garden waste collection service – by recycling your garden waste you are helping to support your local community”.

For further details on Bryson Recycling and the services they provide please visit www.brysonrecycling.org.