It’s a question we get asked a lot, and we totally get it.

However, did you know that your food waste collection on your doorstep isn’t actually making the amazing compost you think it is? It’s transported to an anaerobic digester in North London and along with some of the plastic it’s packaged in, it’s turned into biofuel and slurry for farmers. Although, anaerobic digestion is one step better than dumping everything in landfill, it still produces high emissions and pollution and in the long run, isn’t a sustainable fix to an increasing population.

Volunteer with us! You can recycle your food waste for free and make your very own living compost here in the centre of St Albans at our community composting hub.

By volunteering with Soil Squad, you’ll become an integral part of our movement, working together to build a greener future for St Albans. You’ll be supporting a truly local, circular system that makes living compost, regenerates soil, and builds healthier ecosystems right here in our community, without the extra emissions.

By joining Soil Squad, you’re becoming part of a local movement that’s bringing life back to the soil and, in turn, life back to our communities. Every time you add your food scraps to our hot composter, you’re helping to create microbe-rich compost that feeds the soil from the ground up.

These tiny, invisible life forms work in harmony with plants, a symbiotic exchange that gives them everything they need to grow strong and healthy, no pesticides or fertilisers required. And when we eat food grown in living soil, it’s nutrient-dense, supporting both our physical and mental wellbeing. It’s nature’s perfect cycle of care.

Your support also helps us to work with local schools, where we teach children and young people how to compost, reconnect with nature, and understand that food, soil, and health are all deeply connected. Together, we’re not just cutting food waste or reducing emissions — we’re growing a healthier, more resilient St Albans, one handful of compost at a time.