Garden Organic

Garden Organic and Norfolk County Council are seeking enthusiastic volunteers from Norfolk to join the Master Composter programme and serve as ambassadors for home composting in the county. As a volunteer Master Composter, you'll receive comprehensive training, ongoing support, and the chance to connect with a network of like-minded individuals. You don’t need to be an expert in composting—or even have any prior knowledge—to get involved; the only requirement is that you're a resident of Norfolk. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote composting in your local community and inspire others to start composting at home. For more details about the role, check out the Person Profile document linked at the bottom of this page.

If you are interested in becoming a Norfolk Master Composter you can apply to join the programme by clicking the ‘Fill in an application’ button on the top right or bottom of this page.

Once your application has been accepted, we will be in touch with details of our online induction training which you can complete at your convenience. When you have completed the induction training you will be awarded the status of Master Composter and eligible to attend ongoing training and social events where you can meet other Norfolk Master Composter volunteers. You will also have access to volunteering opportunities and free Garden Organic membership. All training provided is free and travel expenses are reimbursed for all volunteer activity.

After completing the induction training we ask volunteers to spend 30 hours over the next year (only 35 mins a week!) promoting home composting in their community and ongoing training and support is given during this time.

For further information or if you'd like a chat about the role please contact local the Volunteer Coordinator at mastercomposters@norfolk.gov.uk

Norfolk Master Composters started in November 2006. The main aim of the programme is to raise awareness amongst the wider public of the benefits of composting, through a network of volunteer advisors.

Since its inception, 353 trained volunteers have spent over 13,600 hours promoting home composting in the county.

MC’s are volunteers who spend time promoting home composting in their local community, encouraging householders to take up composting and ensuring those already composting do so effectively. This may involve conversations with friends, neighbours and colleagues, attending an event with a display or giving a talk to a group. MC’s come from many backgrounds and age groups; their unifying feature is their enthusiasm for composting and their ability to engage with and make a difference to their local community.

People’s attitudes and behaviour can be influenced by family, friends, neighbours or work colleagues and it is for this reason that our volunteers can provide a unique and much needed way to engage with local communities.

The Norfolk programme operates as a partnership between Garden Organic and Norfolk County Council whose vision for waste management is to manage less waste and provide services that have a lower cost per unit. This will be achieved by working with the community, Norfolk Waste Partnership, contractors & Government to change polices & behaviours to reduce waste and increase recycling. Achieving Norfolk County Council’s waste policies expressed as a strategy of Moving Towards Zero Waste.