HOME & GARDEN
Get Composting! Approximately, only 1 in 4 households composts their green waste, yet around 40% of the average waste bin could be composted. Along with other garden waste, this could provide a garden with its own free, organic growing material! If you fancy producing your very own nutrient-rich compost at the same time as being sustainable, then this is definitely worth a go! Worcestershire County Council offer subsidised compost bins from £15.00 to start you on your composting journey. air, makes it better at holding on to water
What is compost? Compost
up
of
and stops it from eroding away; so, it’s great
such
as
to add to the soil in the borders and pots in
fruit, vegetables, leaves, twigs and grass
your garden. It also works well to feed your
that has broken down in the presence of
lawn, as well as fruit bushes and trees.
organic
is
made
matter
-
air, so it is called aerobic decomposition. The breakdown of the materials is carried out by millions of bacteria, fungi and microscopic organisms, as well as ants, worms and other ‘minibeasts’. One gram of compost can be home to millions of microscopic creatures! Why compost? Each compost bin diverts 150kg of waste a year, creating free, top quality compost at the same time. Emissions from trucks and processing are also reduced and it means less peat compost is being purchased. In the UK, more than 24 million wheelbarrows of peat are used every year. Extracting peat destroys wildlife habitats and releases thousands of tonnes of CO2, something we
Where to put the bin The perfect position for a compost bin is ideally in a semi-shaded position on bare earth, but it doesn’t have to be. It is best if water can drain away, but small creatures can get in from underground. How to Compost The golden rule is to get the right balance of “greens” (which are nitrogen-rich, moist and rot down very quickly) and “browns” (which are carbon-rich but take longer to break down on their own). Get this right
it, provides structure and airflow as well as helping to absorb excessive moisture. Which bin? There are many different types of compost bin and “hot” bins which compost all food waste. The standard “dalek” bin is the most popular and is subsidised by Worcestershire County Council via Get Composting at www.getcomposting.com. For more information on composting and the types of bins available please visit www.letswasteless.com or for more indepth advice Garden Organic have lots of information at www.gardenorganic.org.uk n Content produced by Elisabeth Johnston Let’s Waste Less in Worcestershire Volunteer
and you don’t even need to turn it to add air. If you add too much green or food waste, the contents of your compost bin could become slimy and smelly. Mixing browns to
really need to stop doing in a climate crisis.
“GREENS”
“BROWNS”
AVOID
DEFINITELY NOT
Making compost is a closed loop cycle: you
Grass clippings
Straw
Meat
Crisp packets
are the waste producer, processor and user;
Plant trimmings
Pine needles
Fish
Plastic bags
in other words, you turn your waste into
Weed stalks and leaves
Wood chips
Cooked food
Any plastic
something else which you can then use.
(not roots or seeds)
Autumn Leaves
Bread
Milk or juice cartons
Raw fruit and veg scraps
Wood prunings
Bones
Cling film
Each year tonnes of home compostable
Crushed eggshells
Torn cardboard
Pasta
Glass
waste are disposed of in residents’ bins, or
Hair
Sawdust
Liquids (custard, gravy
Metal
even worse, the recycling bins, which can
Poultry manure
Shredded or scrunched
etc.)
Cat and dog poo
Flower and plant
paper
Dairy products
Nappies
remains
Paper towels
Thick woody material
Coke and ash
contaminate a whole load. This is a waste of a good resource and of taxpayers’ and councils’ money. Uses of compost It improves the soil in your garden by adding n 14 | Worcestershire Now | Issue 206 | May 2021
Egg boxes
Diseased plants
Straw based manure
Perennial weeds
Vegetarian pet bedding
Weed seed heads
Coffee grounds (loose) and tea bags (not plastic)
Receipts
