Composting

Did you know that as much as 30% of your green wheeled bin could be composted?

Composting at home has an important role to play in reducing the amount of biodegradable waste that is sent to landfill each year. Composting is environmentally friendly and can save you money on expensive fertilisers or soil improvers.

What can be composted?

• raw vegetables
• raw fruit
• paper and cardboard
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• tissues and kitchen rolls
• egg shells
• cardboard egg boxes
• dead cut flowers
• most garden waste, including:
  • grass cuttings
  • hedge clippings
  • weeds
  • vegetable waste
  • shredded branches and twigs
  • leaves

What cannot be composted?

• meat, fish and poultry
• dairy products
• cooked food leftovers
• cat and dog wastes
• diseased or treated garden wastes
• non-biodegradables, including
  • plastics
  • glass
  • metals
  • disposable nappies
• coal ash

Turn waste into a useful product!

Composting is a natural process of decomposition, carried out by the action of tiny organisms in the soil. All that is required is to place the green waste into a sturdy container on bare soil or grass. Regular turning will help speed the process by generating heat up to around 55–60 degrees Centigrade, and helping the micro-organisms to do their work. Once the heat is used up the decomposition process stops and turning is required again.

The quality of the compost can be greatly improved by shredding beforehand. Stalks, small branches, vegetables and cut flowers will rot more quickly. With a shredder, even larger shrub and tree branches can be reduced to chippings, which can be used as mulch to suppress weeds.

Benefits to you

• save you money
  by reducing the need for soil improvers, fertilisers and mulches
• feeds plants and your soil
• helps your soil retain moisture.

Benefits to the environment

• reduces the need for chemical fertilisers
• eliminates the use of peat
  that has to be extracted from important wetland wildlife areas
• the composting process helps avoid landfilling of biodegradable waste
  that generates methane and contributes to global warming
• composting has a key role to play if the UK is to meet its target for reducing landfill.

Most commercially made compost bins are dark green or black to attract the maximum natural heat, they should be placed in a sun trap location. A well fitting lid is needed to keep moisture out,and heat in.

How to start composting

A good compost is a balanced mix of materials; too much of the same vegetation can cause a block to the decomposition. Ideally, start with ‘stemmy’ materials at the bottom to allow air in, although the contents should be stirred anyway. If the material is spread in narrow layers, then the contents are better distributed when it is stirred.

The process depends on how much air and moisture the compost receives; with regular turning a good compost will be produced in 2-4 months. In winter the process is slowed down by the cold weather.

We have special offers and discounts on home composters, in partnership with the Norfolk Waste Partnership and Blackwall Ltd. To order your new composter telephone 0845 077 0759 or click here to download an order form.
These are ideal for modest size gardens and provide an immediate opportunity to start composting without the need for building a wooden structure. You can make your own compost frame of any dimension to suit the size of your property.

Whatever type of bin you choose, it is important to ensure that there is a secure lid to keep out the rain, and that it is protected at the base to keep out vermin.

The key ingredients

A balance of green and brown materials is needed for good compost. Greens are soft, sappy materials with high water content such as grass and herbaceous flowers. Browns are dry fibrous materials such as twigs, paper, card and straw.

If the compost turns wet and slimy it is usually because there is too much soft green material. Add tissues, kitchen roll, shredded paper or egg boxes to absorb excess moisture and give a better texture to the compost.

Stirring the compost with a fork will add air pockets and generate heat to help the tiny organisms do their work. This is an important part of the process. Without heat the material will not decompose properly.

A compost activator is not usually needed if there is a balanced mix of materials. Some soil or finished compost can be added to help speed the process and will also add some moisture if the compost is too dry. Young nettles, grass cuttings and comfrey are good natural activators.

Protect against vermin

If vermin are likely to be a problem in your area, it is advisable to stand, or build, your compost bin on a wire mesh screen or expanded metal, which can be folded up around the outside. This will help prevent rats from burrowing underneath to get at the compost. Composted green garden waste does not provide a useful food source for rats, but good compost will get hot and offers a comfortable nesting site.

If you have a home made wooden compost frame it is best to use this for green garden waste only. If it contains vegetable and fruit waste then this is more likely to attract rats. In this case, the outside will also need to be protected with metal mesh to prevent vermin gnawing through the wood.

Worm Composting

Worm composting is an alternative to the compost bin, and one that is both fascinating and fun. This is a system that uses Brandling Worms, a particular type of worm, to create a dark and crumbly compost from garden and kitchen waste. Although you can buy special worm bins, it is possible to make your own using un-treated wood as worms do not like chemical treatments. This type of composting requires more care and effort to maintain, but it is fun, especially for children to see the process developing.

The Digesting Cone

This is a food digester, rather than a green waste composter, that digests all food waste safely and with minimal effort from you. It comprises a mesh basket, which is sunk into the ground way from flies and vermin. It has a cone above ground, which creates heat from solar energy and circulates air. Raw or cooked food waste, including meat, fish, bones, bread, dairy products, vegetables and fruit, can be poured into the cone. Beneath the ground it decomposes mostly to water, carbon dioxide and nutrients, which will then be absorbed into the soil.

As an added protection against vermin it would be beneficial to wrap wire mesh or expanded metal around the basket before sinking it into the ground. The success of this method is dependent on the soil type and is not to be recommended for heavy clay soils.

All of these methods are beneficial to the environment and will contribute to the reduction of waste that is sent to landfill.

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