Closed-Loop Green Waste circular growing in Acton

What if the garden waste produced in our local neighbourhood could help grow the next crop of vegetables?

That is the idea behind Closed-Loop Green Waste, a circular growing project being developed by Cultivate London at our Hanbury Road site in South Acton. Rather than seeing green waste as something to be taken away and disposed of, the project looks at how local resources can be reused close to where they are produced – turning waste into something useful for the community.

How did the idea start?
The project was conceived as a pilot for a more circular way of growing and managing resources in Acton. Our charitable enterprise proposed collecting green waste from the local community and processing it through an anaerobic bio-digester to create useful products such as liquid fertiliser and compost. These resources can then be fed back into growing systems on the site, helping to produce vegetables, herbs and salads for volunteers and local partners. Seeds can also be harvested and shared with other community growing spaces.

Alongside the growing system, the original vision included a workshop where waste timber and other materials could be reused to make planters, raised beds, furniture and other useful items. Electric cargo bikes were also proposed to help move materials around the local area.

Why does it matter?
For the local community, the project offers a practical way to reduce waste while creating opportunities to learn and volunteer to grow food locally. It brings together waste reduction, gardening, reuse and community education in one place. The project was also designed to provide opportunities for schools, volunteers and apprentices to develop practical green skills.

The benefits reach beyond Acton too. The project is intended to demonstrate a model of local, circular waste management and food growing that could potentially be adapted by other communities and councils across the country.

How is the project progressing?
The journey has taken longer than originally expected, with delays affecting the early stages of the project. However, there has been steady progress.

From Spring 2026, the project began moving into a much more hands-on stage, bringing people together to learn how these systems work in practice, with the commissioning of the biodigester as well as the interior installation of the Wood Workshop.

The latest community session will give people the chance to use a woodchipper, feed the biodigester and learn about using a wormery. The aim is to show how different parts of the system can work together: green waste can become biogas, fertiliser and compost, which in turn support food growing.