Composting
This is the natural process by which nutrients are returned to the soil from once living materials. Lots of small creatures and micro organisms specialise in eating dead stuff and when they've finished whats left is good humus that can enrich the soil. With a little help the wee beasties can do it a lot quicker and cleaner (well less smellily). So here are some tips to get your composting off to a flying start
- Get or make a compost bin - this will help keep the heat in and water out
- Position your bin on soil - this allows composting creatures to get into the waste easily
- Use a lid on your bin (specially made ones come with one or use an old bit of carpet) - this keeps the heat in too
- Chop up the waste - speeds decomposition and makes the end product easier to use
- Turn your compost (once a month is good, or maybe try a 3 bin rotation) - this keeps it well areated for faster and less smelly rotting
- Mix your waste - ideally it should be at least 2 parts brown to each green
- Use an activator - these can be bought or made yourself (comfrey residue, urine)
Waste is usually catagorised as brown or green roughly as follows:
| Green | Brown |
|---|
| Grass clippings | Cardboard/brown paper |
| Vegetable peelings | Straw/shredded paper |
| Fruit peels | Dead leaves |
Anything that was once alive will rot so there's loads of other stuff you can add e.g. hair/nail clippings, dust (not a good idea if you have synthetic carpets though).
No Nos
Some things defintely not to add are:
- Faeces (human, cat or dog - chicken or pigeon are OK)
- Cooked food waste - this can encourage vermin
- Meat/Fish waste - this can encourage vermin
Some people do choose to put all their kitchen wast including cooked and meat/fish waste into their bins but an eye must be kept out for vermin trouble.
Useful Links
B&NES Council composting pages
Cheap Compost Bins