Home Composting

home composting

Why home compost?

  • Reduce your waste
  • Help the environment
  • Create a useful product for your garden

By composting at home you play an important role in reducing the amount waste going to landfill each year.

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What is composting?

Composting is a natural process of decomposition carried out through the action of tiny organisms in the soil. 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, and helping the micro-organisms to do their work. Once the heat is used up the decomposition process stops and turning is required again.

The quality of compost can be greatly improved by shredding before hand. Stalks, small branches, vegetables and cut flowers will rot more quickly. With a shredder, even larger shrub and tree branches can be reduced to chippings, which can be used as mulch to suppress weeds.

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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

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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.

Most commercially made compost bins are dark green or black in order to attract the maximum natural heat and so should be placed where they will attract the sun. A well fitting lid is needed to keep moisture out and heat in.

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How to start composting

Choose a small area in your garden to put a compost bin - ideally this should be well drained and easy to get to. It can be in either sun or shade but a bit of sun will speed up the composting process.

You can buy a reduced price compost bin through Norfolk County Council, call 0845 077 0757 or see www.recyclenow.com/compost for more details.

You can also buy a compost bin from another supplier such as a garden centre. Alternatively for no cost you could build a compost bin from scrap material or just start making a heap of compostable material in your garden without the need for a bin at all (please see www.gardenorganic.org.uk for information on how to build a bin).

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.

A good compost is a balanced mix of materials. Too much of the same vegetation can cause a block to the decomposition. Ideally start with 'stemmy' material at the bottom to allow air in. Although the contents should be stirred anyway, if the material is spread in narrow layers, then the contents are better distributed when stirred.

The process depends on how much air and moisture the contents receive. With regular turning, compost will be produced in 2-4 months. In the winter the cold weather slows down the process.

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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.

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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.

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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

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A good mix of the key ingredients

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.

In fact nothing needs to be wasted at all!

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Worm composting

Worm composting is an alternative to the compost bin, and one that is both fascinating and fun. This is a system that uses Brandling worms, a particular type of worm, 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 untreated wood, as worms do not like chemical treatments. This type of composting requires more care and effort to maintain, but it is fun, especially for children to watch the process developing.

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Composting in schools

All schools in Norfolk are entitled to a free compost bin. Call 0844 8008004 to find out how to order one. The Schools Waste Action Club can help your school get started with recycling and composting and offer a range of free activities, call Martina Glason or Jenny Craven on 01603 223835 for more information.

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Getting it right- common questions and answers

  • My compost is too wet

This is caused by an excess of wet materials, such as grass cuttings and green vegetables. Add more dry material such as torn paper, straw or cardboard

  • My compost bin is attracting 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.

  • My compost is too dry

Add some softer material such as fruit and vegetable scraps or grass cuttings

  • 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

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Useful Links

  • Garden Organic - lots of information on organic gardening and composting
  • Recycle Now - Useful information about home composting

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