Home composting is a natural process that is simple and easy to do. It produces a useful soil conditioner that you can put straight back on your garden to improve the soil quality and structure, retain moisture and nutrients and use as a mulch. The following guide summarises the main things you need to know about home composting:
You can either make your own compost heap or use a compost bin. The Council is currently working with Straight Plc to promote home composting and provide compost bins for local residents at greatly reduced rates. For details of our compost bin offer please go to Compost Bin Offer.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to build your own compost heap, the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) provides some useful information through the following link: Compost heap information
When choosing the best site for home composting, the best place is somewhere sunny on loose soil to keep it hot and make it easier for the worms and microbes to get to the compost - all of which will help to speed up the process.
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How to Make Compost
In order to work best, your compost heap needs a mixture of air, warmth, moisture and food. If the balance is right, your compost heap should be damp and odourless.
- Air
Air helps the microbes to break things down and stops your compost heap from becoming anaerobic. You can add air and oxygen by turning your compost heap from time to time using a fork or aeration trowel. You can also add material such as crushed egg boxes to create air pockets within the heap. - Warmth
The hotter your compost bin the better it will work. You can increase the heat by making sure you place your compost heap in a sunny location and by adding more rather than less materials in one go. - Moisture
If your compost heap is too dry, nothing will happen. A certain amount of moisture is needed to speed up the process. You want to aim to keep it damp, rather than too wet. The materials you add will make a difference to how wet or dry your heap is. - Food
The microbes that break down your compost need food to work effectively. This can be provided by supplying a good mix of materials. See what to put in your compost bin below for the best mix of materials to add.
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What to put in your Compost Bin
You can put waste from your garden and uncooked scraps from your kitchen into your compost bin. Break any large items down into smaller pieces to help them compost quicker. Try to add a balanced mixture of wet and dry materials to keep your compost bin damp.
| Wetter Materials (provide nitrogen and moisture) | Dryer Materials (provide carbon and air) |
| Uncooked kitchen scraps | Shredded cardboard and paper |
| Teabags and coffee grounds | Straw |
| Crushed eggshells | Pet bedding (rabbit, hamster etc) |
| Soft prunings | Wood prunings |
| Old plants and flowers | Leaves |
| Annual weeds | Feathers |
| Horse/cattle dung | Wood chips and sawdust |
| Grass cuttings (small amounts) | |
Materials to speed up the process
You can also add chicken and pig manure and nettle tops to help speed up the composting process.
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What to Avoid in your Compost Bin
Do not put anything that is not biodegradable in your compost bin such as glass, plastic etc. as they will not rot down.
Avoid cooked food scraps as these can attract pests.
Avoid diseased plants and perennial weeds.
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Composting is not an exact science. Things can go wrong, usually because the balance of the bin is upset. Fortunately problems are usually very easy to put right:
| Symptom | Problem | Solution |
| Nothing is happening | Too much dry material and/or not enough material | Add some wetter materials and mix well. Add water if necessary |
| Fruit flies & other insects in the bin | Some insects are necessary to the composting process, but if swarms of them are in the bin there is probably too much wet material or food waste attracting insects | Add some dryer material and mix well. Cover any food waste with soil or compost |
| Slimy, smelly material | Too much wet material makes the compost too compact | Add some dryer materials, mix well to add air |
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How to Use your Compost
Your compost is ready when it's dark brown, smells nice and earthy and feels like soil.
Before putting it on your garden, sift out any larger bits and return those to the compost heap along with any material that still needs to rot down.
Compost can add nutrients and structure to the soil, maintain moisture and a good PH balance and suppress disease.
Here are some of the uses you can put your compost to:
- Add to flower beds, vegetables or around trees
- Enrich new borders
- Use as a mulch
- Use for potting when mixed with soil
- Use to feed your lawn
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