From Food Scraps to Flourishing Gardens | The Soil Factory comes to Forest Row | By Jon Slack
Ever wondered what happens to your banana peels, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps after they leave your kitchen? In most areas of Sussex, these valuable resources are currently ending up in general waste, but from April 2026, they'll be collected separately and hauled off to industrial processing facilities as happens with the food waste in Lewes. While this is certainly progress, we think those nutrients would be better served staying closer to home.
Why "The Soil Factory"?
We chose the name "The Soil Factory" with a playful wink to highlight that nature's systems have been perfecting the art of transformation for millions of years—far more efficiently than any human industrial process! The name celebrates the worms, nematodes, fungi and other soil organisms that are nature's original workers.
While we humans were still figuring out how to make fire, these tiny engineers were already running the most efficient waste processing operation on Earth. Think of it as nature's original startup with millions of years of experience behind it!
Why Here, Why Now?
The UK's soils could use some love—they've lost up to 60% of their organic carbon in many areas. In the High Weald and across Sussex, our once-rich agricultural soils face challenges from intensive farming, development pressure, and changing climate patterns.
Meanwhile, new legislation means separate food waste collections are coming to businesses by April 2025 and households by April 2026.
This perfect timing gives Forest Row a chance to pioneer something special: a community approach that keeps resources local, builds soil health, and brings people together. Why send our valuable food scraps on a lengthy journey when they could be doing good work right here?
Our vision extends beyond Forest Row, too. We hope to inspire and support similar initiatives throughout Wealden and Sussex, creating a network of community composting projects each adapted by locals to suit their particular needs. Imagine Soil Factory stations popping up across the region, each with its own unique character but connected by shared knowledge and purpose.
Learning from the Composting Pioneers
We're not reinventing the wheel (or the worm bin). The Soil Factory takes inspiration from some brilliant initiatives:
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Brighton Living Soil (Old Tree Soil): Where food waste becomes premium living soil that makes city gardens thrive
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Loop Frome: Electric cargo bikes collecting food waste that becomes compost sold back to the community (genius!)
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Devon Community Composting Network: Showing rural communities how it's done for over 25 years
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Les Alchimistes (France): Proving that urban composting can create jobs while improving soils (with a certain French flair)
A Community Journey
The Soil Factory story began with conversations with FRow Resource in April 2024, which developed into a feasibility study completed in October 2024. Since then, we've received both moral and financial support from the Parish Council and built connections with numerous community members.
Seasons Wholefoods has been particularly supportive (and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm writing in the Seasons newsletter... though I wouldn't turn down free veg if offered!). We've been lucky to find backing from many local businesses and community members who share our vision for a more resourceful Forest Row.
How It Will Work
Our approach is refreshingly straightforward:
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Composting stations in key community locations
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Food waste collection by cargo bike and electric vehicle
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Transformation into living soil rich with microbial life
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Distribution to community gardens, allotments and home growers
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Knowledge sharing through casual workshops and demonstrations
Unlike large-scale industrial processing, our approach focuses on creating genuinely living soil that supports plant health and captures carbon. It's not rocket science—it's actually much older and wiser than that!
Come Join the Fun!
Launch Event: Saturday 26th April
Join us for an evening at Forest Row Village Hall as we kick things off:
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Film screening of "Six Inches of Soil" – a brilliant documentary about British farmers rebuilding soil health
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Chats with soil enthusiasts and community leaders
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Welcome kombucha and seasonal botanical drinks from Old Tree Brewery (you may know their delicious ferments from the shelves at Seasons)
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Engaging displays where you can see our vision and ask questions
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A chance to peer through microscopes at the underground universe (tiny creatures, big impact!)
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Tasty local, organic canapés from The Seasons Kitchen & The Artisan Forest Kitchen
Everything is included in the ticket price, and this event helps kickstart our first station! We need to raise £5,000 to establish our first composting hub in the village centre, and every ticket sold chips away at that target.
How You Can Join In
If you're a resident:
Whether you have a garden the size of a postage stamp or no outdoor space at all, everyone creates food waste! Join our collection scheme when it launches this summer and be part of something good for both community and planet. You'll even get some beautiful living soil in return (perfect for houseplants if you're short on garden space).
If you run a food business:
For a small collection fee, we'll take those veg peelings, coffee grounds and kitchen scraps off your hands. You'll save on waste costs, earn serious eco-credentials, and support something that makes Forest Row even more special. We'll make it easy, clean, and work around your schedule.
If you run a non-food business:
You can still be part of this! Consider sponsoring a composting station (great PR), encouraging staff volunteering (team building with worms!), or simply helping spread the word. Every business in Forest Row can play a part in our quieter, greener revolution.
If you just want to help:
We need all sorts of people with all sorts of skills! Whether you can spare a few hours monthly or want more regular involvement, there's something for everyone. Help with collection routes, tend to composting sites, support with communications, or join us at events. No composting expertise required—just enthusiasm!
We're also looking for funding support from the community. If you're interested in financially supporting this initiative (every little helps but so does a lot), drop us a line to chat about options.
The timing feels right for Forest Row to try something different with our food waste. Together, we can create something practical, educational, and just a bit magical.
Jon Slack is usually found coordinating The Soil Factory and other community projects around Sussex. Get in touch at TheSoilFactory.UK@gmail.com with questions, offers of help, or to chat about all things soil and community.
