Composting is nature's process of recycling decomposed, biodegradable, organic materials into a nutrient rich fertiliser known as compost. Anything that was once living will decompose.
It is an entirely natural process, by providing an environment where decomposers can flourish; you are merely accelerating the natural circle of life. Further acceleration can be achieved by way of a wormery system. When implemented, this system converts organic matter into compost with the help of earthworms.
Why Bother?
Around about 60% of household waste is organic, and therefore suitable for your compost heap. By disposing of your own environmentally friendly waste you are saving space in British landfills and reducing the amount of waste-disposal Lorries on the road.
The home composting programme launched in 2004 by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) shows just how much of an affect home composting can have, the programme had the aim of getting a million Britons composting at home for an estimated diversion of 400,000 tonnes of waste from landfill. That is a significant amount of waste!
As well as the greater good and large scale benefits, there is also the simple fact that compost, the by-product of composting, is an excellent, natural fertiliser which can improve soil structure, water retention and drainage in your garden.
More advanced/sophisticated composting systems will allow for a collection of liquid fertiliser which is an excellent plant feed when diluted with water.
Oh and it all costs absolutely nothing!
What is suitable for composting?
You may be surprised about the things that can be thrown onto your compost heap:
Home waste – vacuum cleaner dust, hair, egg boxes, newspaper, toilet roll.
Kitchen waste – vegetable peelings, fruit skins, food scraps, egg shells, teabags, coffee grounds, kitchen roll.
Garden waste – prunings, grass clippings, leaves. (You should though, avoid pernicious weeds, like bindweed and couch grass, as these are very difficult to get rid of.)
Animal waste – manure, bedding sawdust, shavings, hay.
However, the following compost ingredients should be avoided on the smaller scale compost heaps as they do not produce sufficient heat to kill all bacteria:
Avoid - Manure from non-vegetarian animals including cats and dogs, meat/fish scraps, dairy products, oil, fat.
To increase the efficiency of your composting you need sources of cellulose and protein (or carbon and nitrogen).
Cellulose (Carbon) – straw, sawdust, wood-shavings, dry leaves, cardboard, newspaper.
Protein (Nitrogen) – grass cuttings, leafy weeds, animal dung (chicken manure is recommended), fruit/vegetable peelings.
Oh and if you live near the coast, seaweed is a perfect compost ingredient!
Composting with worms
Your compost heap will cool down once all of the initial bacteria action has slowed and there will still be a lot of decomposition to be done, this is where the worms lend a helping hand.
Worms are able to eat their own bodyweight of matter in a day and so they assist with the composting. They are also beneficial because:
• They are quick workers, nature’s fastest composters in fact.
• They can reduce the composts volume by 85%
• They produce vermicompost, a great fertiliser.
• They operate effectively on small heaps.
• They help prevent bad odours.
Obtaining the worms
For the healthiest, most efficient compost heap you should look to get specialist worms as opposed to just collecting them from under the slabs in your back garden.
An effective wormery system requires a lot of worms, about 1kg per cubic metre in fact. However, once you have bought your worms you will not need to do so again as they are prolific breeders and will naturally regulate themselves to suit the amount of waste that is provided for them.
Litter dwelling worms are the best and most commonly available species for composting:
Dendrobaena veneta - This is a striped worm and it is a big eater. This type of worm will thrive on leafy waste as their natural habitat is woodland floor.
Eisenia andreii/fetida - This worm is also known as the Red Tiger worm and is perfect for composting because of its rapid waste consumption rates and rampant breeding.
Lumbricus rubellus - This is another type of red worm - like the Eisenia - that can survive at lower temperatures than other worms although a temperature drop to below 10 degrees Celsius will see its waste consumption decrease dramatically.
Although this is a surface dwelling species, the Lumbricus can tunnel deep into the soil to escape from the elements, making it a good choice then for outdoor compost heaps and cold winters.
Is it a lot of effort?
A compost heap, in the main part, will look after itself. Minimal effort is required to gather the waste but other than that, there is no hard work involved.
You must, however, be patient. Compost heaps take a good 6-9 months to really establish themselves.
The smell
It is a common misconception that a compost heap will smell foul. However, a healthy heap, especially if you include worms in your system, will not smell.
Another tip to minimise bad smells is to keep your heap relatively dry, mineral powders can be applied if your heap has become saturated and there is a persistently smelly problem.
Buying the equipment and the worms
All that is necessary for a compost heap is a bin and plenty of waste. You can pick a bin up from your local garden centre of hardware shop and upon purchasing your bin, you should look out for:
An appropriate size – buying a bin that is too big for the amount of waste you produce will decrease the efficiency of your compost heap as they are most efficient when the bin is full.
Colour – darker colours make for a better heap as they absorb the heat better than lighter colours.
Shape – a cone shaped bin is the best shape for drainage and air-flow
Ventilation – do not be fooled into thinking that a bin with holes is superior to one with no holes. Holes are not necessary, with the right mix of waste you heap will be sufficiently aerated. In fact, holes in the bin can slow down the process through the release of essential thermal energy.
It is worth checking out
www.recyclenow.com to see if there is currently a low cost compost bin offer for your area.
For your
wormery you are going to need a couple of kilograms of worms, coir bedding, moisture matting and lime mix.
You can get hold of all of these things from Wiggly Wigglers, Worms Direct UK and VermiSell as well as from numerous garden centres.
Additional Composting Advice
For more helpful information be sure to check out the following websites:
• The Composting Association
www.compost.org.uk
• Recycle now
www.recyclenow.com
Also, WRAP has a dedicated team of, region specific, Home Composting Advisors. Phone them for advice on 0845 600 0323