Home composting

Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. It's easy to make and use.

Why Compost?

The average household bin contains 43% of organic material that could be composted. If all households were composting, it would reduce the amount of waste going to incineration and landfill.

Compost can be easily produced using kitchen and garden waste. Composting speeds up decomposition, producing a rich plant food that can be used on gardens.

How to compost at home

Kitchen waste

You can collect kitchen waste, peelings etc in a small bin or bag in your kitchen and transfer to your compost heap when full.

Garden waste

Prunings and grass cuttings can be added directly to your compost heap. Tougher materials, e.g. twigs and stems need to be cut into smaller pieces.

Materials should be mixed together so the compost does not become too slimy, preventing decomposition.

Do Compost:

• Vegetable and fruit peelings,egg shells
• Tea bags, coffee grounds
• Plant prunings and leaves
• Flowers and weeds
• Shredded card
• Old pure wool jumpers and other natural fabrics including hair
• Droppings and bedding from non herbivores,e.g. rabbits, horses and birds
• Straw

Don't compost:

• Any meat, fish and dairy
• Animal droppings from carnivores
• Glossy magazines and heavily inked card
• Nappies
• Coal ash and soot
• Diseased plants
• Left over cooked food
• Anything that would encourage rodents and pests

Composting in your garden

Site

Your compost bin or heap needs to be located on a bare patch of earth. This enables micro organisms and worms to get into the waste to begin decomposing it.

Compost bins

There is a wide range of compost bins available to buy, in different sizes to suit all gardens.

Alternatively, you can build your own compost bin from wood posts and wire. Good for bigger gardens with more waste.

Want to know more?

RecycleNow has lots of tips and information on getting started with home composting. Visit their website at www.recyclenow.com.