Handy composting hints and tips

Jump to:

1. Find the right site
2. Get composting
3. Getting the right mix
4. Let's speed up the process
5. Your compost is ready
6. Home composting for larger gardens

Did you know, composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually?

Approximately 40% of the waste in your black bin is compostable. Do your bit to reduce the amount of waste you landfill by composting organic waste at home.

Compost is made by living microscopic organisms feeding on the materials and breaking them down. If compostable materials are sent to landfill these organisms do not get the air they require and as they break down the waste a harmful greenhouse gas called methane is released. Home composting requires air, moisture and warmth to thrive without the production of methane - that's great news for the planet!

1. Find the right site

Compost heaps and bins love a sunny spot. The warmth generated by the sun kick starts the process and help the organisms develop. Composting should take place on bare soil - if you have to put your compost bin on a hard surface, like a patio, placing a layer of paper, twigs or existing compost on the bottom will help to get things going. Most importantly, pick a place that is easy for you to add your food or garden waste and, of course, get the compost out.

2. Get composting

It's handy to have a container in your kitchen for your food waste that can be easily taken to your compost bin. The table below shows the sort of items you items you can and can't compost.

Yes please	No thanks
Fruit peelings	Cooked food
Vegetable peelings	Meat or bones
Teabags/coffee grounds	Fish
Toilet roll tubes and other thin cardboard	Dairy products
Eggshells

3. Getting the right mix

The organisms which break down your compost materials need air, warmth and moisture to live. A really good compost gets the balance of materials right.

Young, wet materials like grass cuttings and vegetable peelings rot quickly and are known as `greens'. In order for your compost to be perfect, green materials need to be mixed with tougher, drier materials like old bedding plants and cardboard, known as `browns'.

So, what's the perfect balance? You should aim for a 50/50 mix of both wet greens and dry browns. A good way of ensuring this is for every container of fruit and vegetable peelings you add, match it with a container full of scrunched up paper and card or some old plants. If you have the right recipe of greens and browns you should have the correct amount of moisture.

Air should be allowed into your compost bin. Adding scrunched up paper, egg boxes or loo roll tubes help to create air pockets. If you have room you can also dig your compost over with a garden fork. Sticking a broom handle into the compost and giving it a good wiggle will also help.

4. Let's speed up the process

Usable compost is normally produced after six to 12 months, but sometimes it's not as fast as we'd like, so there are a few ways you can give nature a helping hand.

Add a little water: a dry compost bin can slow down the rotting process. Compost should be moist, if you need to add water do it gradually with a watering can and give it a good mix.

Speedy ingredients: green, sappy materials add more nitrogen. Try adding grass cuttings or young stinging nettles. If you have vegetarian pets like rabbits or guinea pigs adding a little of their bedding or manure can help.

Chop it up: chop everything you put into your compost into very small pieces, this will speed everything up and you'll also be able to get more in your bin.

Give it a good mix: regularly turning your compost adds air and help things break down a little quicker.

5. Your compost is ready

Once your compost has turned into crumbly dark material and looks like thick moist soil, you know it's ready to be used. It is now a nutrient rich food for your garden. It can also help to improve soil structure, stabilise your soil's PH balance as well as suppressing plant disease. Your plants and flowers will love it!

6. Home composting for larger gardens

For those residents who may have larger gardens or large amounts of leaf fall during the autumn, a traditional home composter may not prove practical to deal with all garden waste. Following some of the practical advice listed below could help you compost your garden waste at home:

Cropping or shredding items (anything over ½ an inch in diameter) will quicken the time they take to compost. Alternatively you can pile these items in a corner of your garden as a wildlife habitat.
You can construct containers yourself – a metre cubed area made from posts, floorboards, pallets or wire mesh will act as a composter. Most gardens would need two and very large gardens would need three. They can then be filled and emptied on a rotational basis. And most importantly you would get compost for free!

Further information and advice on home composting is available on the Recycle Now website.