North Ayrshire Council’s free compost giveaway is back
Compost created from food and garden waste across North Ayrshire will be given away free to residents.
Gardeners and growers are invited by North Ayrshire Council’s Waste Services team to collect some compost for their gardens or allotments.
Almost 12,000 tonnes of food and garden waste is collected across North Ayrshire annually. This is recycled into rich compost for plants and vegetables and is:
- made available for use by the Council
- offered free to residents and
- donated to local community gardens and allotments.
Adding compost to soil is one of the best ways to increase the health of your garden by helping the soil to absorb nutrients more effectively, retain moisture and develop strong plant roots.
The council is offering residents the chance to give their plants and veg a boost in time for summer with free compost giveaways at various locations.
Quote: Residents can use this compost to grow healthy fruit, vegetables and plants in their gardens. It really is a great resource. I would encourage anyone who could use some of it to go along to the pick-up point nearest them and use it to give their garden a nice boost!
Quote from: Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
Around 60 tonnes of the soil improver will be handed out. It is available on a first come, first served basis and it will be loose, so you will need to take along your own bag and shovel to collect it.
This year’s giveaway, arranged by the Waste Resources team in Neighbourhood Services, is taking place in June at the following six locations:
- Irvine Beach Park car park (near Harbour Pilot House) – Monday 9 June, from 3pm
- Stevenston Shore, at the Trelawney Terrace carpark - Monday 9 June, from 3pm
- The car park behind Kilbirnie Library, Avils Place - Tuesday 10 June, from 3pm
- The car park at Vikingar, Greenock Road, Largs – Tuesday 10 June, from 3pm
- Household Waste Recycling Centre, Market Road, Brodick - Saturday 7 June, from 10am and
- Garrison House, Millport (Clifton Street end of the car park) - Saturday 7 June, from 10am.
The Waste Resources team would also like to encourage residents to recycle the Right Stuff in the Right Bin because if you put the wrong stuff in the wrong bin, the council can’t collect it.
Doing this helps the council reduce the £3.6 million that is spent sending waste for final disposal.
For more useful recycling information, including how to reduce what you put in your bins and a refresher on the ‘Right Stuff, Right Bin’ guidance, visit this web page.
Please note: Please check the council’s social media channels for any unforeseen changes to the advertised dates/times.
Published: 28 May 2025