Home Composting

Compostable materials can be divided into two types: 'green' or 'brown'. Green materials are rich in nitrogen, provide a source of moisture and rot down quickly as they contain bacteria that kick start the composting process. Brown materials are rich in carbon. They take longer to rot down and help to create air pockets within the compost.

Here are some examples of green and brown materials. They can all be home composted.

Green:

• Tea bags
• Coffee grounds and filter paper
• Fruit peelings (including citrus peel)
• Vegetable peelings and leaves (including rhubarb leaves)
• Dead plants, flowers and old bedding plants
• Grass cuttings
• Nettles
• Annual weeds
• Pond algae and seaweed
• Comfrey leaves
• Chicken and pig manure

Brown: 

• Egg shells
• Cardboard (scrunched or torn up) e.g. egg boxes, cereal boxes, corrugated cardboard packaging, toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• Plain paper e.g. scrunched up newspaper and shredded paper
• Tissues, paper towels, kitchen roll and napkins (only if they have not been in contact with meat, fats and disease)
• Garden prunings, dry leaves, twigs, hedge clippings, woody clippings
• Straw and hay
• Bedding from vegetarian pets e.g. rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters
• Corn cobs
• Wool, feathers, cotton threads, string (made from natural fibres), natural fibre clothes (e.g. woolly jumpers – cut into small pieces)
• Vacuum bag contents (if carpets are made from natural fibres)
  Tumble dryer fluff (from natural fibre textiles)
• Ash from paper, wood and charcoal

The following items are not suitable for home composting:

• Persistent weeds
• Coal ash
• Plastic / glass / metal items
• Nappies
• Cat litter and dog faeces
• Large branches
• Cooked food rich in carbohydrates e.g. bread, pasta
• Cheese and dairy products
• Fish
• Meat
• Cooked vegetables

The Location

Place the compost bin on bare soil, preferably not on concrete or tarmac. This enables the worms, insects and micro-organisms to work their way into the bin to help break down the materials. It also allows any excess moisture to drain away to prevent the composting material from getting water logged. Locate the compost bin in an area where it will receive sunlight for all or part of the day. The heat will help speed up the composting process.

Getting The Right Balance

Adding a mixture of greens and browns in equal proportions will speed up the composting process. Adding too many greens will produce a smelly sludge. If too many browns are added there will not be enough moisture or bacteria in the bin to kick start the composting process. It is better to add materials little and often rather than in big loads.

Moisture Content

The compost should feel like a wrung out sponge. If you add a balance of greens and browns to the compost bin the moisture content should be just right. To prevent water-logging make sure the bin is covered to keep the rain out. If the compost heap does get too wet, simply add more brown materials such as hay and straw to absorb the excess moisture. Water the heap if dry.

Aerating The Compost

Turn, stir and mix the materials in the compost bin about once a month. This will aerate the mixture and provide the worms, insects and micro-organisms with more oxygen which will aid them with their composting work.

Compost Activators

Adding nettle tops, grass clippings and chicken or pig manure can help speed up the composting process - but remember to add a balance of browns too.

Other Tips

Shredding and chopping materials into smaller pieces will also speed up the composting process. 

Your finished compost should be found in the bottom of the bin and it will be rich and dark in colour. You may need to dig off the top part of your compost and leave it to break down for a bit longer.

Odours are normally produced by too much green waste like grass cuttings. Make sure the waste is well mixed and add more brown waste to keep it balanced. Try adding scrunched up cardboard, packaging or egg boxes with the green waste. The carbon helps balance the nitrogen excess which is found in the green waste. Occasional stirring of materials in the compost bin will allow more air to flow through the materials and provide the worms and micro-organisms with oxygen for respiration. This is important as these creatures help speed up the composting process.

Yes - worms, centipedes, fruit flies, ants and other insects are essential to the composting process. They help organic waste break down to form compost.

Pests such as rats and mice are sometimes attracted to compost bins. This can happen if food scraps are left around the compost bin within easy reach of scavenging animals. Adding cooked food such as meat and fish may also attract rats if they are a problem in your area. For this reason it is advisable to only add raw fruit and vegetable food waste to the compost bin. If pests are a major problem in your area it is advisable to only compost garden waste until the pest problem subsides.