While spring is always a busy time of year for the organics sector, recyclers have revealed to letsrecycle.com that compost sales have increased several months earlier than usual, with the product in far greater demand when compared with previous seasons.
Some have even gone as far to say there could be a shortage, though most say this is too early to call.
The spike in demand for compost is being attributed to a ‘grow your own’ boom during lockdown, with people spending more time in – and money on – their gardens. In 2020, Google search analytics show ‘compost delivery’ was the third highest search in the UK for deliveries.
Garden centres were one of the few businesses allowed to remain open in the last lockdown, which could also be a reason for increased compost sales.
‘Three times over’
An In-Vessel Composting (IVC) business in East Yorkshire reported that in January and February this year, it sold 11,000 tonnes of PAS100 peat-free compost to agriculture. In the same period last year, it gave away just under 3,000 tonnes.
The recycler said that compost is being sold “three time over” its usual rate, and at the moment, there is “absolutely no stock available”.
With two more compost supply deals agreed for the next year, the recycler anticipates that the market is “getting hotter”, with a potential compost shortage on the horizon.
A major customer of the business has predicted they will be 5,000 tonnes short of compost by the end of June, following an increasing demand for peat-free product.
On value, this compost is ranging between £5-£10 per tonne for 0-10mm PAS100 material, averaging at around £7 per tonne.
‘Very short supply’
Similarly, another IVC operator based in Surrey noted that all compost is in “very short supply”, having also bagged additional supply deals recently.
It added that demand really picked up in January and February, which is “months earlier than seen during normal times” as people spent time in their gardens.
Its product value has increased slightly for commercial gardens, however remains steady for farmlands.
An open-air windrow recycler in Staffordshire remarked that this is mainly due to seasonal changes, while another based in Oxfordshire argued that there has been an uplift in interest “not just seasonally but throughout the year”.
Despite the high demand, gate fees on the whole are remaining static, with open-air windrow in a range of £15 to £27 per tonne, AD at £10 to £15 and IVC at £35 to £48.
‘Mixed picture’
Head of organics and natural capital at the Renewable Energy Association (REA), Jenny Grant revealed that increase in compost demand has been a topic of conversation among members, however remains a fairly mixed picture.
While Ms Grant isn’t convinced of a shortage, she suspects that there would definitely be regional variations.
She continued: “I know some sites are now making compost to order, and the recent good weather certainly makes screening easier. Hopefully the dry spell will continue a while and enable sites to produce as much good quality compost as possible. It’s great to see strong demand and hopefully lots of householders seeing the soil improvement benefits that using compost can bring.
“I’ve spoken to two composters recently, one who was reporting really strong demand for compost and selling it as quickly as they can make it and another who reported a slight uptake in demand but plenty of stock. So does seem a bit mixed depending where in the country you are.”
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