Composting at Home

Composting is the entirely natural process by which nature returns nutrients back to the soil.

Organisms such as bacteria, insects, worms and fungi break down the material into a crumbly soil-like material called compost.

By composting at home, you can harness this process, reducing waste and producing an excellent soil improver.

Up to 40% of household waste is kitchen and garden waste, ideal for composting. Making your own compost reduces the need to buy soil improvers and mulches. Applying homemade compost to your soil improves its quality and helps it to conserve moisture. Composting at home also reduces waste and so helps the environment.

It should be placed directly on to the soil or grass. You will notice that the bin does not have a base, this is to enable the worms to get in and to let moisture drain harmlessly away. It does not need to be placed in a sunny spot, it is more important to place it where you can get to it easily.

Air is very important to the composting process, particularly in summer when the composting organisms are at their most active. Air can be introduced quite simply by agitating (not turning!) the bin contents every few weeks to provide air channels. Moisture is added every time you add fresh grass or kitchen waste. The mixture should always look wet, if you think it is drying out, you can always water your bin to return it to its ‘wet’ state.

Once your bin is sited, you are ready to start adding materials. The majority of your kitchen and garden waste can be composted, but there are a few which you should exclude.

Fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags, grass clippings, egg shells, dead plants, hedge trimmings, woody prunings, rabbit and guinea pig bedding, leaves, newspaper and cardboard.

What shouldn't go in my compost bin?

Cooked food, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, dog & cat faeces, diseased plants, glossy or coloured paper/card.

Composting works best with a good mix of dry, tough materials with wet, sappy materials. Throughout the summer months, the majority of your composting material will be sappy garden waste and moist kitchen waste. This material needs to be joined by drier types such as newspaper or hedge clippings.

If, for example, you intend to compost your grass clippings, tear a newspaper into strips and add a layer before putting your grass into the bin. As a guide, adding one newspaper to every 4 boxes of clippings will prevent the mixture the becoming slimy.

How long does it take?

Composting basically happens during the summer months when nature is at its most active. As a guide, it is best to use your bin a year before harvesting your compost. The compost you harvest will generally be the remains of the material you added during the first six months or so. Any materials that are still recognisable can be put back into the bin to continue composting.

Do I need chemical accelerators?

No. Composting is an entirely natural process performed by living things. Provided you keep on feeding them they will happily chomp away without the need for other additives.

Will it smell?

Composting should produce only a rich earthy smell. If a sharp ammonia smell is produced it is usually due to too much grass and not enough paper. Add some shredded paper and mix in to get it smelling sweet again.

My bin attracts lots of small flies

These are Fruit flies (NOT Whitefly) and are harmless. To discourage them, add a layer of soil to cover the bin contents. When the material is covered they will disappear in a day or so. There is no need to add soil every time you add material, just do it when the Fruit flies appear.

Leicestershire County Council's Rot-A-Lot Club is free to join and is in Parnership with Leicester City Council. It offers free advice on home composting and as a member you will receive a free Kitchen Caddy, 4 newsletters a year with advice on home composting, access to free advice via a telephone helpline and the opportunity to attend workshops and tours of local composting facilities. So, if you have never composted at home but would like to start, contact 0116 305 8280 or e-mail compost@leics.org.uk

For further information on home composting the following websites have useful information.

For advice on getting started, bin accessories and all kinds of useful information related to composting

The Composting Association

For advice on composting and compost use

Henry Double Research Association

Organic gardening information with handy hints on home composting

Compost bins can be purchased from as little as £8 with home delivery please see our Compost Bin page.

Most garden centres now stock plastic compost bins although these can be expensive.