|
Why home compost?
- Home composting allows people to dispose of organic waste at home.
- It reduces the amount of biodegradable waste in dustbins, which cuts the potential for bins to smell, particularly during the summer months.
- It saves money by reducing the need to buy soil improvers or conditioners.
- It improves the soil quality in the garden by adding nutrients to feed the plants and helps the soil to retain moisture.
- Organic kitchen waste cannot be disposed of using the council's brown bins or sacks.
Home composting helps the environment, because: - 30 per cent of household waste can be turned into compost, so composting reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill sites;
- composting reduces the need for chemical fertilisers;
- composting reduces the number of car journeys to household waste recycling centres.
|
|
What can be composted?
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Fruit and vegetable peelings
|
Meat, fish and bones
|
|
Grass cuttings
|
Coal ash
|
|
Tea bags and coffee grounds
|
Nappies
|
|
Egg shells
|
Dog and cat litter
|
|
Weeds
|
Metal, glass and plastic
|
|
Rabbit and guinea pig bedding
|
Dairy products
|
|
Leaves
|
Diseased plants
|
|
Shredded paper and card
|
|
|
Wood ash
|
|
|
Sawdust
|
|
Different types of home composting
Garden waste can be composted at home in a compost bin or heap.
Medway Council, working in partnership with Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP), can offer Medway residents compost bins at a subsidised rate.
To compost using a heap system
A compost heap can be contained simply by concrete blocks or wooden sides, covering the pile with an old carpet or plastic sheet to keep the rain out and the heat in. This can be ideal when there is a lot of garden waste in the summer, which would be too much for the bin to handle all at once. It is not ideal for kitchen waste unless it can be made secure against rats and mice. If two areas are made side by side, it makes it easier to turning the compost by simply forking the material from one into the other and mixing in fresh material when it is available.
Getting started with a bin
A compost bin is an easy and cheap way to start composting. A few simple tips will help to get the compost heap started and will lead to perfect compost:
- place the bin in a sunny spot;
- place it directly on grass or earth, so that the worms and other organisms can get in to their food;
- secure the bin, so that it will not get blown over.
Remember that when it comes to composting, decomposers are not much different to people in their basic needs, so be sure to provide them with all of the basics:
- Food: carbon and nitrogen, (greens and browns). Remember, it is important to get a good mix of brown and green materials. About half-and-half of each will make good compost. Keep a caddy or special bin near the kitchen bins and place all the waste that can be composted in it. This will save on trips to the garden.
- Water: composting will take place quicker if the pile is kept moist but not soggy. Add water or dry materials to the compost bin as needed to keep the balance.
- Air: make sure the compost pile gets plenty of air by stirring and mixing the contents regularly.
When is the compost ready to use?
The compost has finished composting and is ready to use when it has a uniform look (like soil), a dark colour, small particle size and an earthy odour. Most of the materials put in will no longer be recognisable. Use finished compost as a mulch, soil additive or as potting soil.
Trouble shooting
The compost is wet and slimy
- Add woody waste or paper and card to help absorb the moisture and add texture to the compost. Turning the heap with a fork will help to mix the new materials.
The compost heap smells
- A smelly heap means that there is not enough air getting to it. Try adding woody waste to create air pockets and turn the heap with a fork.
There are lots of flies around the compost
- Cover the heap or the top of bin with a layer of soil 2 or 3cm thick.
The compost does not appear to be doing anything
- Make sure that a wide range of materials has been added to the bin or heap. Ensure that the compost is kept moist, possibly by using an old piece of carpet to cover the heap or top of the bin.
Know your stuff
Degradable: susceptible to chemical breakdown.
Biodegradable: capable of decaying through the action of living organisms.
Only biodegradable materials can go into the compost bin because compost bins, wormeries or food digesters need air (aerobic) to work properly. If these same materials go to landfill, where there is no air (anaerobic), as it rots it can produce the harmful gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia.
Medway currently composts its garden waste using Windrows. Essentially these are long columns of garden waste that are out in the open. Because the core temperature does not get hot enough to kill potentially diseased food pathogens, we cannot take either food waste or biodegradable plastic.
Useful information:
If you would like further information on wormeries, why not try one of these:
www.bubblehouseworms.com
www.wigglywigglers.co.uk
www.recyclenow.com/applications
|
Your bin doesn't have to be a plain boring compost bin. Why not create a unique design like ours, let us see it and we will send you a gift made out of recycled products.
|
|
|
Text version | Accessibility help | Change contrast | Printer friendly
