Guide to Home Composting

Composting your garden and kitchen waste is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you dispose of in your rubbish bin.  Not only does it help to reduce global warming, but also provides a free source of rich compost to help improve your garden.

How does home composting help to reduce global warming?

When organic waste is sent to landfill sites it is compressed under tonnes of other types of waste.  The organic waste therefore does not have sufficient access to air, which prevents it from being able to decompose properly.  Instead of decomposing, methane gas is produced which contributed to global warming.

The Compost Bin

The first step to start composting at home is to get a compost bin.  There are two options - make your own compost bin or buy one.  Compost bins can be bought from most garden centres and DIY stores.  Discounted compost bins are also available from the government funded Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign.

The next step is to decide where to locate the compost bin.  This is an important step as it can affect the quality of the compost that is produced.  For best results place the bin in a well drained area with good access to sunlight.  The drainage will enable excess water to drain out of the compost and placing the bin in a sunny spot helps to speed up the composting process.

What can I put in my compost bin?

There are loads of everyday waste items from your kitchen and garden that can go into your compost bin.  These are broken down into ‘Greens’ and ‘Browns’.  Greens are items that provide moisture and nitrogen and are quick to rot.  Items classed as ‘Greens’ includes:

• Vegetable peelings
• Fruit
• Tea bags
• Grass cuttings
• Leaves
• Weeds, nettles, etc.

‘Browns’ are items that take longer to rot but provide essential pockets of air, along with fibre and carbon.  This includes items such as:

• Cardboard egg boxes
• Egg shells (crushed)
• Newspapers (scrunched up)
• Cereal boxes
• Toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• Shredded paper
• Dry hedge clippings and twigs

How do I make a good quality compost? 

In order to make a good quality compost, it is important to use a good mix of both ‘green’ and ‘brown’ wastes.  It is simply a case of monitoring the compost and adding more waste depending on the look of the compost.  For example, if it looks too dry add more ‘green’ waste, and if it looks too wet add more ‘brown’ waste.  Every so often it is also a good idea to mix or turn the contents of your compost bin to add air.

How long will it take for my compost to be ready to use?

This will vary depending on the mixture of waste that is placed into the compost bin, the surrounding conditions and the weather.  In general it should take between 6 and 9 months for your finished compost to be ready to use.