Home Composting
Why home compost?
By composting at home you play an important role in reducing the amount waste going to landfill each year whilst creating a useful product for your garden.
What is composting?
Composting is a natural process of decomposition carried out through the action of bacteria, fungi, mini-beasts and other micro organisms. All that is required is to place the green waste into a sturdy container on bare soil or grass. Regular turning will help speed the process by generating heat, up to around 55-60 degrees centigrade, but it is not essential to turn it. See below for how to make good compost.
Benefits to you
- Saves money by avoiding the need to buy soil improvers, fertilisers and mulches
- Feeds plants and your soil
- Helps your soil retain moisture by improving its structure
Benefits to the environment
- Reduces the need for chemical fertilisers
- Eliminates the use of peat, which has been extracted from important wetland wildlife areas
- The composting process helps avoid landfilling of uncooked kitchen and garden waste, which generates methane and contributes to global warming.
Where to buy a compost bin
- Visit our home composting page with details of how to buy a reduced price compost bin
- Search on the web for compost bin suppliers
- Try the free ads which may have bins on offer
- Try free exchange web sites such as http://www.ilovefreegle.org/
You could try making your own bin at http://www.homecomposting.co.uk/
How to start composting
Choose a well drained area in your garden to put a compost bin - it should be easy to get to. Placing it in sun will speed up the composting process.
Whichever type of bin you chose it is important to ensure that there is a secure lid to keep out the rain and that it is protected from vermin.
Use a caddy to collect kitchen green waste. A good compost is a balanced mix of green 'wet' materials and brown 'dry' material. Too much of the same vegetation can cause problems. Add the material mixed where possible in narrow layers - you can stir the compost or 'turn' it, but it is not essential.
Try to cut up larger pieces of twigs or tough plants to aid the compost process.
The process of making finished compost can take from six months to two years and depends on many variables. Don't forget what you see in the top of the bin has no bearing on what's at the bottom!
Protect against vermin
If vermin are likely to be a problem in your area, it is advisable to stand, or build your compost bin on a wire mesh screen or expanded metal, which can be folded up around the outside. This will help prevent rats from burrowing up underneath to get at the compost. Composted green garden waste does not provide a useful food source for rats, but good compost will get hot and offers a comfortable nesting site.
If you have a homemade wooden compost frame it is best to use this for green garden waste only. If it contains vegetable and fruit waste then it is more likely to attract rats. In this case, the outside will also need to be protected with metal mesh to prevent rats gnawing through the wood.
Never put cooked food, meat, dairy or other processed food into the compost bin.
What can be composted?
- Old herbaceous plants
- Hedge clippings
- Twigs
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Tissues and kitchen rolls
- Leaves
- Egg shells
- Paper and card
- Egg boxes
- Rabbit or guinea pig bedding
- Dead cut flowers
- Raw vegetable and fruit waste
- Grass cuttings
- Annual weeds (ignore persistent weeds or weeds in seed)
- If you are uncertain, leave them out.
What can't be composted?
- Diseased plants
- Plastic, glass or any non organic product
- Coloured glossy paper
- Disposable nappies
- Pet droppings or litter
- Cooked food left overs
- Meat or any material prepared with meat
- Fish
- Poultry carcasses or any bones
- Coal ash
- Cheese and any other dairy products
A good mix of the key ingredients
Add 50% greens and 50% browns to your bins to make the best compost as can be seen with the bride and groom compost scultpture.
A balance of green and brown materials is needed for good compost. Greens are soft, sappy materials with high water content such as grass and herbaceous flowers. Browns are dry fibrous materials such as twigs, paper, card and straw.
If the compost turns wet and slimy it is usually because there is too much soft green material. Add tissues, kitchen roll, shredded paper or egg boxes to absorb excess moisture and give a better texture to the compost. Stirring the compost with a fork will add air pockets and generate heat to help tiny organisms do their work. This is an important part of the process. Without heat the materials will not decompose properly. A compost activator is not usually needed if there is a balanced mix of materials. Some soil or finished compost can be added to help speed the process and will also add some moisture if the compost is too dry. Young nettles, grass cuttings and comfrey are good natural activators.
Worm composting
Worm composting is an alternative to the compost bin, especially if space is an issue. The system uses Brandling worms to create a dark and crumbly compost from garden and kitchen waste. Although you can buy special worm bins, it is possible to make your own using old plastic dustbins, water butts etc. This type of composting requires more care and effort to maintain, but it is fun, especially for children to learn about the process. Several suppliers sell wormeries including one in Norfolk http://www.thewormhotel.com/ - shop around to find a wormery that suits you.
Composting in schools
Composting in schools can help reduce waste fruit, paper towels, shredded paper etc. and produce a valuable resource for the school grounds. Please see http://www.recyclenow.com/schools/compost/index.html for hints and tips.
Norfolk's Master Composter Scheme
Get involved by volunteering to become one of Norfolk's Master Composters.
Anyone over the age of 18 can become a Master Composter; you don't need any composting or volunteer experience, just a willingness to learn.
As a volunteer you will receive free training in home composting and related environmental issues provided by Garden Organic. The initial training is a two day foundation course and is held locally. All trainees get a Master Composter resource pack and a visit to a composting site as part of the course. Once the training has been completed, you will be expected to spend 30 hours over the following year promoting home composting as a volunteer (i.e. not as part of a paid position).
Becoming a Master Composter is a great way to meet new people, learn valuable skills, and benefit from being part of a team that makes a difference.
Please visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/compost for more details.
If you are interested in attending the next training course and becoming a Master Composter please contact the Project Co-ordinator on 01603 223328 or email mastercomposters@norfolk.gov.uk
Getting it right - questions and answers
- Why is my compost wet or smelly? This is caused by an excess of wet materials, such as grass cuttings and green vegetables - this causes a wet mat to form which eliminates air and encourages anaerobic decomposition which smells. Add more dry material such as scrunched up paper, straw, leaves, twigs or cardboard.
- My compost bin has lots of little flies, how can I get rid of them? These flies are fruit flies and help break down the fruit and vegetable material in your bin. To reduce their numbers, bury any fruit and vegetable scraps under some garden material or wrap them in newspaper. You can also lay a piece of newspaper or cardboard over the top of the contents and place fruit underneath it when adding to the bin.
- Why is my compost too dry? Add some greener material such as fruit and vegetable scraps or grass cuttings. Dry compost does not break down well. Try to keep a 50:50 mix of greens and browns.
- What does compost look like? The finished compost is the dark brown layer at the base of the compost bin. It should have a fresh earthy smell and a crumbly texture.
- Do I need to add a compost activator? Normally you shouldn't need an activator, if there is a good mix of materials
Useful Links
- Garden Organic - lots of information on organic gardening and composting
- Recycle Now - Useful information about home composting
21391