The Marsh – Sustainable South Brent https://ssb.org.uk Sustainablity in the heart of the local community Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:17:20 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.5 https://ssb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/logo-3.jpg The Marsh – Sustainable South Brent https://ssb.org.uk 32 32 Scything at the Marsh on Saturday https://ssb.org.uk/scything-at-the-marsh-on-saturday/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 23:49:40 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=12690 Meeting at 2pm this Saturday 5th August at the Marsh (SWW site) off Exeter Rd.

– Please note changed time for this activity

We’ll be scything the meadow and clearing the arisings which we will take to the compost site. Meet at the Marsh composting site, off Exeter Road at 2 pm (note changed time due to the rain forecast in the morning, which, although it will still be breezy, will, hopefully have passed over).

 

You will have an opportunity to have a go at scything or hone your technique. Any and all help with raking and clearing is greatly appreciated. Do bring a rake if you wish! No dogs, please. Come for as little or long as you can.

If it is very wet n’ wild, we will postpone, so please check your email before you set off.

There will be more scything opportunities planned for 12 August (- TBC), to manage the wildlife and meadow areas near the roundabout and behind the Health Centre.

FFI or to join, email: beesbugs@ssb.org.uk

 

]]> SHDC Green/Garden Waste collection is Restarting!! https://ssb.org.uk/shdc-green-garden-waste-collection-is-restarting/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:07:13 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=9459 South Hams District Council’s collection of garden waste in the brown wheelie bins will be resuming with the first collections taking place the week commencing 28th March. The service will then run fortnightly on the opposite week to your refuse collection – see: southhams.gov.uk/garden-waste-restart . A reminder of what is accepted within your brown bin, useful FAQ’s and details of how to order containers can be found here: https://southhams.gov.uk/brown-bin. (If you do not have a food waste caddy or the ‘New Super Recycler Service’ in your locality, food waste should still be put into the grey refuse bin.)

Remember you can of course also take suitable garden waste (Not kitchen/food waste) to the Marsh composting site on Sunday morning

]]> Compost Project Co-ordinator https://ssb.org.uk/9150-2/ Sat, 22 Jan 2022 14:42:52 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=9150  

Thought you would!   Over the last 8 years the marvellous Martin Duckworth has co-ordinated the fantastic work at the Marsh.  However he is now hanging up (and passing on) his compost thermometer.

When we sat down with Martin to look at his role we saw how it had grown over the years and is now too big for one person to take on.    To address this we have reviewed and simplified the role of the Compost Project Coordinator, and are now looking for a new coordinator to oversee compost production at the Marsh.   You’ll be working alongside Rowan Wylie and Joddy Chapman who have kindly stepped up to assist with the day-to-day running of this most successful of SSB projects.

The good news is that it could be you taking over!   We expect strong competition so get in early.

The overall purpose of the Compost Project Co-ordinator is managing the production and distribution of compost produced at the Marsh.      This includes:

  • Overview of the production of the compost
  • Overview of the sieving and bagging of the compost
  • Liaison with SSB Trustees and taking part in Marsh Management Group meetings
  • Liaison with South Hams District Council to arrange shredding of the garden material and turning of the compost
  • Coordinating social and celebration events
  • Supporting demonstration visits for interested groups
  • Dealing with ad hoc matters in conjunction with others on the Marsh Management Committee

The role will include having oversight of

  • volunteer management and rota creation (administrated by Rowan Wylie)
  • compost record collection and donations including SHDC recycling credits (administrated by Joddy Chapman)

The role will be supported by

  • The Marsh Management Group (that will oversee the management of the site itself)
  • The Trustees

Equipment and training will be provided.

If you are interested (particularly if you already volunteer) then please do get in touch for a chat and further details.

Contact Ross Kennerley,  rosskennerley2@gmail.com  or Martin Duckworth martinsduckworth@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

 

 

]]> No SHDC brown bin collection? – ‘The Marsh’ will welcome your garden waste https://ssb.org.uk/no-shdc-brown-bin-collection-the-marsh-will-welcome-your-garden-waste/ Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:39:32 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=8461 South Hams DC has suspended all garden waste collections from Monday 16 August for a minimum of four weeks, see: https://www.southhams.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/guide-waste-and-recycling/garden-waste-service.

The Marsh – Sustainable South Brent’s Community Compost Site on Exeter Road (adjacent to the South West Water site) is open on Sundays from 10am to 1pm and will welcome your garden waste and turn it into compost.

Please bring your garden waste by barrow or car (Brown bins are accepted but can be very hard to empty and The Marsh volunteers may not be able to assist)

We accept:

  • Soft green waste material you can cut with mower or clippers (this soft waste is particularly appreciated for compost-making!)
  • Twiggy brushwood material that can be cut with loppers, or hedge trimmings cut with shears or a power tool

We don’t accept:

  • Stumps, vines, bamboo, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam
  • Food/kitchen waste, cooked or uncooked e.g. unwanted fruit and vegetables, peelings, left-overs, so please make sure your compost is not contaminated with any of these.

Compost made from garden waste may be available for collection from The Marsh at £1 per 10kg bag

For more information on The Marsh see:  https://ssb.org.uk/projects/the-marsh-community-compost-and-re-use-centre/

]]> The Marsh – compost available again from 23 May https://ssb.org.uk/the-marsh-compost-available-again-from-23-may/ Tue, 18 May 2021 09:42:57 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=7986 From Sunday 23 May, having placed collection of compost on hold for a few weeks, compost will be available for collection again. However, we still need MORE green garden waste e.g. grass cuttings, dead flowers etc., and LESS wood! If you collect compost, please place £1 per bag donations in the box – no change can be offered.

]]> A message from the Marsh – We have no compost – We need more green waste https://ssb.org.uk/a-message-from-the-marsh-no-compost-we-need-more-green-waste/ Tue, 20 Apr 2021 11:30:23 +0000 https://ssb.org.uk/?p=7800 We have been overwhelmed with requests for compost since we re-opened in March. This is the busiest period fo the year but more compost than usual is being collected. We are awaiting SHDC who will turn the other compost heaps into the 2 bays which we normally use for extracting the compost. Those bays are currently completely empty and, unfortunately the big piles of compost beside these bays are still cooking and have temperatures around 60°C which is too hot.  Once the compost is turned it may still take a while for the turned compost to cool down to – ideally –  below 45°C.

Hence we need to alert visitors to the Marsh that compost collection is currently on hold.  We also need much more green waste – usually grass clippings  or anything with rather less wood than we are usually receiving. The shredding process doesn’t reduce all of the wood and we end up sieving out a veritable mountain of wood (and stones)!

]]> THE MARSH REOPENS ON SUNDAY 7 MARCH https://ssb.org.uk/the-marsh-reopens-on-7-march/ Sat, 27 Feb 2021 14:30:36 +0000 http://www.sustainablesouthbrent.org.uk/?p=7461 The Marsh: SSB’s composting site: Having been closed during the National Lockdown, the Marsh will reopen on Sunday 7 March on Sunday mornings from 10am-1pm. Initially, on 7 March, this will be only for leaving garden waste. From 14 March, the Marsh will be open both to leave garden waste, and to buy compost. No physical help can be offered to visitors and social distancing of 2 metres must be maintained – sanitising materials will be provided. Only two vehicles will be allowed on site at one time plus maximum of two allowed to stack in the entrance layby. When you collect compost, please place donations in a box – no change can be offered.

Full Information on the project can be seen at: www.ssb.org.uk/projects/the-marsh-community-compost-and-re-use-centre/.

]]> Marsh closed for lockdown https://ssb.org.uk/marsh-closed-for-lockdown/ Tue, 05 Jan 2021 21:30:34 +0000 http://www.sustainablesouthbrent.org.uk/?p=6755 As a result of the current pandemic situation, the decision has been taken, in consultation with lead volunteers, that The Marsh, SSB’s Composting and Reuse site will remain closed for the foreseeable future. We aim to follow the spirit of the government’s request for people to stay at home until the current National Lockdown ends. The volunteer rota will be re-instated nearer the time we can prepare for re-opening.

We apologise for the inconvenience and look forward to better times for us all.

]]> The Marsh community compost and re-use centre https://ssb.org.uk/projects/the-marsh-community-compost-and-re-use-centre/ Mon, 12 Jun 2017 16:05:00 +0000 http://www.sustainablesouthbrent.org.uk/?page_id=153 Click here to access SSB Project management documents

Click here to access relevant SSB Policy documents

For more info contact: marsh@ssb.org.uk

THE UPGRADED MARSH COMMUNITY COMPOSTING SITE IS NOW FULLY OPEN ON SUNDAYS BOTH FOR GREEN WASTE AND COLLECTING COMPOST

The Marsh Composting Site is adjacent the South West Water site on Exeter Road (otherwise just known as ‘The Marsh’) and is open on Sundays from 10am-1pm to receive garden waste and produce compost for local collection and use.

  • We ask that no more than three cars are on the Marsh site at any one time.
  • Visitors may be guided by the volunteers to a place to wait before entering the site
  • No parking on the main road will be permitted while waiting for entry into the Marsh site
  • Limited help will be available from the volunteers to unload your garden waste or carry bags of compost to your car.
  • Compost may be purchased if it is available at £1 per 10kg bag.
  • We will remain open for receiving garden waste at times when we are unable to supply compost.
  • When you collect your compost, please place your donation in the box.

WE ACCEPT:

  • Soft Green waste material you can cut with mower or clippers
  • Twiggy brushwood material that can be cut with loppers, saw or power tools

WE DO NOT ACCEPT:

  • Stumps, Vines, Bamboo, Japanese Knotweed; Himalayan Balsam; Giant Hogweed; Curled Dock; Broad-leafed Dock; Spear Thistle; Creeping Thistle; Common Ragwort.
  • Other organic matter such as food waste, e.g. unwanted fruit and vegetables

OPENING TIMES

Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

The South Hams D.C. free brown bin collection service finished in 2022 and the new chargeable service for South Hams residents wanting to have garden waste is now operational. For details see: – https://waste.southhams.gov.uk/gardenwaste.

If you are not opting to pay for the service, we are informed that you may keep the bin, which can have good use as a wormery, water butt, or to take your garden waste along to the Marsh, which will continue to welcome your garden waste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Composting Masterclass held at The Marsh on 15 March 2025, with Nicky Scott and Mel Harvey in full swing:

Map:

 

Marsh Composting – A history


Martin Duckworth, our previous Marsh Composting Co-ordinator has written a short history of its development.

‘It all started in September 2010 when the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) gave South Brent Parish Council permission for a disused Devon County Council storage depot, on the Exeter Road, to become a “composting and re-use site”. By February 2011 SSB was granted a 10-year lease by DNPA, including three years rent-free use. This has been extended and, at the time of writing, the concession is still in place.

The site has been modified to make it more secure and suitable for producing compost. It is equipped for sieving and bagging the finished product, and for storing equipment and sheltering the volunteers – should it ever chance to rain on a Sunday!

By the end of March 2011 the site was ready to receive garden waste and had 21 volunteers on the rota. Today the project has 35 volunteers, and one Steward and two or more other Assistants open the site from 10am to 1pm each Sunday.

By September 2011 the first usable compost was produced. 10kg bags are available for a £1 donation. Volunteers are also given one bag for each hour worked on the site and bulk collections of un-sieved compost by trailer are encouraged. On average over 2000kg of compost (equivalent to about 160 bags) is collected each month.

The operation and maintenance of the site is funded by recycling credits claimed from SHDC and from the donations made buy those collecting the compost.

The Marsh site also hosts the Hedges and Woodland Group which is developing the ‘re-use’ role of the site through the storage and processing of wood gathered by the wood group.’

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