Compost Corner

The benefits of Home composting

A million tonnes of garden waste e.g. grass cuttings, prunings and leaves are sent to landfill every year. This waste could be turned into a valuable source of nutrients for your garden by Home composting - one of the most effective actions we can take to protect the environment. By composting you can reduce your waste; reduce the need to water your garden and increase plant growth.

Over a third of the waste in your wheeled bins could be recycled into Home compost. Did you know you can compost kitchen waste items such as tea bags, egg shells, vegetable peelings and even newspaper! Put these together in your Home composter and you will have a rich organic compost!

This home made compost is an environmentally friendly alternative to artificial fertilisers and peat (now a dwindling resource).

The composting process

Composting is a natural two-stage process:

1. Initially microscopic organisms feed on the more succulent ingredients in the pile. As they feed and reproduce, the energy they create causes the pile to heat up. The heat helps kill off seeds and weeds.
2. The micro-organisms then move onto the tougher materials and so slow down causing the heap to cool down. It is at this stage that worms, beetles and various other insects move in and take over and continue the breakdown into compost.

What can I do?

• Set up a compost bin or heap and re-use the compost in your garden, recycling the nutrients.
• Perhaps you could use “Pro-Grow” - the peat free alternative that is available from all of Nottinghamshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres at just £3 for a 30 litre bag!

How to begin… set up a compost bin or heap!

You can buy a purpose made plastic or wooden container. Why not take advantage of our offer and buy your own compost converter from as little as £17.00, you can order online at www.recyclenow.com/compost, by phone on 0845 077 0757, or you can download and post this leaflet [PDF 295KB] .

Please note that we cannot guarantee delivery of compost bins before Christmas if they are ordered after 11th December.

Or you can make your own container from wooden pallets or scrap timber, or build a heap and cover with old carpet or black polythene.

At www.recyclenow.com/compost you will also find some great tips on how to get the most out of your compost.

How to make your own compost

1. Select a site in your garden to locate your compost bin or heap. It should be sited in a warm spot over soil or grass to allow good drainage. The soil underneath will benefit from the nutrient rich water.
2. Then; start with a layer of dry grass or bark.
3. Add soft green material to provide nitrogen.
4. Ensure a good supply of air.
5. Keep a constant moisture level – it should be damp but not wet (add small quantities of water, grass clippings or leafy materials if the compost is drying out).
6. Use a mixture of ingredients - vegetable scraps, grass, leaves etc. They should be in loose layers – do not compact too much.
7. Turn well at regular intervals to mix dry and wet materials together to improve air circulation.

And hey presto, compost for your garden!

If you follow this advice, your compost will be a material that has a rich earthy texture, is sweet smelling and provides valuable nutrients for your soil. It may be a bit lumpy or stringy but this does not matter and if you require a finer material just leave it for longer. Compost can take from a few months up to a year to be ready, so be patient!

What can you put in a compost bin or heap?

Yes

• Fruit scraps and vegetable peelings
• Grass cuttings
• Most garden weeds
• Tea bags/leaves and coffee grounds
• Hedge clippings (chopped up small)
• Finished flowers
• Wood shavings
• Small sized prunings
• Leaves
• Finely chopped or shredded shrub prunings
• Clean straw and hay

No

• Clothes and textiles
• Plastic products
• Products soiled with oils or chemicals
• Diseased plants or those infected with persistent diseases eg club root
• Meat, fish and dairy products
• Any sauce covered foods
• Dog and cat droppings or litter
• Tough woody material
• Cooked food waste

Avoiding problems

Try the following if you have any problems with your compost:

Not heating

• Try to increase the amount of ingredients in the pile.
• Check that the contents have enough moisture, it should feel like a damp (but not wet) sponge.
• Try to increase aeration by turning the pile using a fork.
• Insulate the top with old carpet or a plastic sheet.

Wet or odours

• Turn the heap to increase aeration.
• Reduce moisture content by adding absorbent materials such as bark, dry grass or straw.

Weeds in final compost

• Stop adding weeds to the pile.
• Or you can put the weeds in a plastic bag in the sun for a few weeks (to ensure they are completely dead) and then add to the pile.

Rodents or flies

• Ensure you do not add any meat or dairy products to the compost bin.
• If in doubt only add fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen.

More information

Visit www.recyclenow.com/compost or www.organics-recycling.org.uk.