How to compost
How do I compost?
| Put your composter in the garden on bare soil, not paving or decking. Compost needs a balanced diet - try to add equal volumes of soft and tough materials. Soft, wet materials include grass cuttings, tea bags and uncooked vegetable peelings that won't successfully compost on their own. Tough items are harder, drier materials such as straw, paper and hedge cuttings. Composting works best if you add lots of materials at once. Chop chunky and large items into small pieces to speed up the composting process. |  |
Try to ensure that your compost stays moist but not wet - when squeezed in your hand a few drops of water should be produced. Add water if it is too dry; cover and add dry materials such as straw if too wet.
Add soil, finished compost or a compost accelerator (young nettles are excellent at this job) to help speed up the process.
Remember to keep adding a good mixture of materials.
Agitate the contents with a garden fork to keep the air flowing through the material. Do this every couple of weeks during the summer and every month or so in winter.
Your compost is ready when it is dark in colour and has an earthy smell. Depending on the time of year and materials used this can take anything from six to eighteen months.
What can be composted?
| Garden Waste | Household Waste |
| Plants | Fruit and Veg peelings |
| Lawn clippings | Paper and Card (in small amounts) |
| Woody material (shredded) | Salad waste |
| Prunings | Egg shells (crushed) |
| Hedge clippings | Hair and fur |
| Dead flowers | Tea, teabags and coffee grounds |
| Weeds | 100% Pure wool/cotton clothes (cut up) |
| Bedding from Vegetarian pets | |
What cannot be composted?
| Cooked food waste |
| Dog and cat faeces |
| Meat and fish |
| Sanitary wear and nappies |
| Dairy products |
