Firstfruits Environmental Services Ltd. Cic

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure Based at the Raines' Foundation Building in Bethnal Green, East London, First Fruits will collect green garden waste, waste food and waste construction wood and convert this to compost, charcoal, biochar and other sellable commodities including organically-produced vegetables and edible mushrooms, wooden furniture and timber. FirstFruits provides volunteer and employment opportunities to marginalised people in East London, offering people practical experience to grow their skills and gain employment, or simply expand their social network and be a part of something positive for our community. The choice of Raine’s Foundation School as the potential site for First Fruits is to honour the school and what it has achieved over the past 300 years and its founder Henry Raines and continue his and the school’s legacy in East London for years to come. Turning back climate change, one street at a time The first phase of the project is building a community composting site at Raine’s. This will receive waste from landscaping contractors, private individuals and small food producers. Composting will be done in open windrows, with worms and anaerobically with effective microorganisms in a process called bokashi. A no-dig vegetable garden will be developed using compost generated on site, and FirstFruits will also set up a mushroom farm that will process waste coffee, wood chippings, sawdust and cardboard to cultivate gourmet mushrooms for the restaurant trade. The project will provide employment, mentoring and training to individuals on the margins of society: people affected by homelessness, people with mental health or addiction issues, individuals that have passed through the criminal justice system, or vulnerable young people.