Working Group on the use of compost in growing media
Working Group on Peat-Free Growing Media using Compost
3rd
November 2026
Location TBD – Hotel in Dublin?
As part of the REGENERATE project, Working Groups have been established to engage with the wider industry and share solutions and ideas for managing digestate and compost. These groups bring together farmers, biogas and compost plant managers, crop advisors, horticulturalists, and rural community members to discuss and develop practical, sustainable outcomes. Insights generated will inform the development of factsheets, which will be shared across the project’s Community of Practice to support wider industry learning.
Peat-Free Growing Media using Compost
This group will look at compost from food and garden waste as well as composted digestate in the development of growing media for the hobby market. The goal is to create new products to displace peat-based products.
This workshop is the first in a series of optional events for the Extraction of Nutrients from Digestate Working Group, which will run throughout the 3-4 years of the REGENERATE project.
Agenda
Time |
Topic |
11:00 |
Welcome tea/coffee |
11:15 |
Overview of the REGENERATE project and the working group aims Percy Foster |
11:20 |
Challenges on using Compost in Growing Media in Beyond Peat Project Speaker TBD? Michael Gaffney, Teagasc Q&A |
11:40 |
An overview of the specific challenges and barriers experienced by EnviroGrind Dr. Maxwell Y. Owusu-Twum, Envirogrind |
11:50 |
Open Discussion Format What are the Barriers (e.g. Technology, feedstock, Regulations/ Policy, user requirements) to use of high quality compost / composted digesate in growing media that the REGENERATE project needs to address? Percy Foster |
12:30 |
Lunch |
Post event: key objectives, refinements for REGENERATE, follow up actions, etc. will be documented and shared as relevant shortly after the event. |
Location
Johnstown Estate Hotel, Enfield, Meath, A83V070