– Peat is the garden’s palm oil! says garden enthusiast Susanne Dertz and grabs a hold of the dark soil. On a large slope down towards the forest, the plants stand close together. To the sound of birds chirping, Dertz digs a hole for a pink knight spur she has grown herself from the root. Not a single bag of soil containing peat has been added to the bed. Soil is not just soil. Most of the bags of potting soil consist of peat, which is an endangered natural species. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news High bog is an endangered nature type The soil that is sold in sacks in shops and at garden centers contains peat, and the peat is extracted from high bog, which is an endangered nature type. – The rainforest has such a high status, but bogs are not so well known. But if they had filled the sacks of soil with palm oil, people wouldn’t have bought it, says Dertz. – It is difficult for people to make the right choice when they do not know what peat is, says Susanne Dertz. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news In addition to the high bog being an endangered nature type, there is another environmental problem with peat. The bogs are efficient, natural carbon stores, and peat is important for binding CO₂ in the bogs. When the peat is extracted, CO₂ is released. It takes nature a thousand years to build one meter of bog. But the wet, thick peat acts as a carbon sponge. Although bogs only cover three percent of the earth’s surface, as much carbon is stored here as in the entire atmosphere. When peat is dug up, this carbon is released and becomes CO₂. In addition, the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide are released. The Norwegian Institute for Biotechnology (Nibio) calculates that emissions from destroyed bogs can correspond to seven percent of all Norwegian emissions. According to the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (Nina), it can be as much as ten percent. This roughly corresponds to the emissions from all passenger cars on Norwegian roads. Annually, 83,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents are emitted per year from peat production, according to the Norwegian Environment Agency. Most of this peat, around 75%, is used in plant and garden soil that is sold to private individuals. Susanne Dertz became interested in gardening in 2017. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Demands a ban on turf Environmental organizations and also parts of the gardening industry are getting impatient. On 31 May, the environmental organization Sabima sent a letter to Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap), where they are calling for the plan for when it will be prohibited to extract peat. It is important to choose the right pallet of soil if you are going to have climate-friendly soil. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Already in 2016, the Storting decided that such a plan should be drawn up. The aim was then that the phasing out of peat in the private garden market should take place by 2025, and in the professional market by 2030. The Norwegian Environment Agency submitted its recommendations in 2022. They believe that a ban will be most effective in preventing new extraction of peat. The UK is ahead of us and bans peat already in 2024. Completely peat-free flower pots on the terrace. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news According to State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad (Sp), the Ministry of Climate and Environment is now considering the matter. – Unfortunately, it has taken a little longer than desired due to case processing capacity in the ministry, she writes in an e-mail. They are also working to follow up on the Storting’s request to ban the construction of bogs. More people are buying peat-free soil In recent years, it has been possible to buy peat-free potting soil at garden centers and in shops, and more and more types of peat-free products are being offered. More and more people are offering peat-free soil for garden flowers Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Felleskjøpet says that they have so far sold twice as much peat-free soil this year compared to last year. They have set themselves the goal of being peat-free in the garden market by 2030, according to communications manager Veronika Skagestad. At Coop, demand has increased by 17 per cent this year. Hageland also states that more people are buying peat-free alternatives. It is their 8th best selling soil product so far this year. – There are currently no productions large enough to cover the total need for bagged soil or for production, says Siri Sando, plant category manager in Hageland to news. It has become more popular to make your own compost soil. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Since the production is smaller, it is also a little more expensive to buy that type of soil, but several of the players give a discount when buying several bags. Making your own flower soil Susanne Dertz supports a peat ban. She used to buy bags of compost soil produced at the local recycling plant. Susanne Dertz uses peat-free soil, or her own compost in the flower pots on the veranda. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Now she has started making her own compost. It requires some effort and takes at least two years before the compost is ready. In the bin, she puts layer upon layer of leaves, grass clippings, egg cartons and coffee grounds, among other things. – The best thing is to make your own compost soil, says Susanne Dertz. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news – It is waste that I would get rid of anyway. It is good that it can become soil, says Dertz. She thinks it is low-hanging fruit to stop buying land with peat. – You must not buy a compost bin yourself. The waste facilities do it for you so you can buy it ready, concludes Dertz. First factory for peat-free soil bags Grønn Vekst is one of the players that makes peat-free soil that you can buy in the store. They did not want to wait for the authorities to decide on a turf ban. Then in May they opened the first factory to produce peat-free earth bags on a large scale. It is conveniently located at the recycling facility of Avfall Sør near Kristiansand. Peat-free soil is packed in bags at the factory outside Kristiansand. It has a production capacity of up to 3–4 million sacks of peat-free soil a year. Photo: Grønn Vekst According to general manager Bernd Keller, they have succeeded in copying the properties of peat. – We have absolute faith in this. After the corona, when everyone started tinkering in their gardens, something has happened, says Keller. Then the political process can just take its course!
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Calls for a ban on turf – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
