How and why to start your own compost!

Why compost?

Compost recycles organic materials that would otherwise end up in the land fill. It is hugely beneficial to the environment as it reduces the amount of food and garden waste that ends up in the landfill. When these substances are broken down in the landfill, they don't have oxygen so break down anaerobically producing methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Also, liquid from the rotting waste slowly filters through the landfill, washing out pollution. To stop this from leaking into our waterways, it has to be collected and treated onsite.

Composting can avoid this and provide you with nutrient rich fertiliser that can be used in gardens, landscaping, agriculture and organic farming. It is beneficial for the land as it replaces nutrients that have been removed during a growing season, improves soil composition and increases the amount of oxygen available to plants.

Composting is also a crucial part of the nitrogen cycle. Our plants need nitrogen-rich soil to grow fully, and build protein, so soil from a compost heap will add to the natural nitrogen cycle by returning enriched soil to the ground.

In ecosystems, compost is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

Benefits of composting

• Recycles Kitchen and Yard Waste

• Good for the Environment

• Reduces Landfill Waste

• Introduces Beneficial Organisms to the Soil

• Soil Conditioner

How to step up your own compost?

1. Find a large bin, anything you can find around the house that will store a decent amount of food and garden waste will do. Preferably something with a lid and an open bottom to place on the earth but a storage container that you can make some hole in will do if you are just starting out. For some ideas, see here.

2. Ideally, start your compost pile on bare earth. This allows worms and other beneficial organisms to aerate the compost.

3. Lay twigs first, a few inches deep to aid drainage.

4. Add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry. Moist ingredients are food scraps, tea bags, etc. Dry materials are, leaves, sawdust pellets and wood ashes.

5. Add manure, green manure such as grass clippings or any nitrogen source. This activates the compost pile and speeds the composting along.

6. Keep compost moist. Water occasionally, maintain consistency of a sponge.

7. Cover with anything you have, a lid helps keep pests and flies out as well as helps retain moisture and heat, two essentials for compost. This also prevents the compost from becoming too wet from the rain.

8. Turn every few weeks with a shovel to aerates the compost and prevent clumping. Oxygen is needed for composting to occur.

9. Once you’ve built your compost pile, add new materials!

10. Keep an ice cream container in your kitchen to put compost scraps in and empty in into you bin when full!

What can you compost?

Add carbon AND nitrogen rich substances:

• Carbon: Leaves, sticks, twigs and paper and paper towels.

• Nitrogen: Fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, other food scraps - stale bread/crackers.

What can't you compost?

• Avoid adding meat or dairy products to your compost as these attract unwanted pests.

• Newspaper or paper with ink as the chemicals can contaminate your compost.

• Cat or dog poo as this can spread disease. Use chicken, horse, cow, and rabbit manure instead.

• Sawdust as it has often been treated with chemicals

Tips:

• The content of your compost bin should have the consistency of a damp sponge. If it gets a bit too wet, turn it more frequently to aerate it or add dry matter such as brown paper bags to soak up excess water. Likewise if it begins to smell.

• Add more water if it is too dry and to encourage it to decompose.

• Keep a small pile of grass next to your compost to cover food scraps and avoid attracting pests.

Goodluck and get composting!