Home  Water and Waste Waste Composting
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Composting About half the waste that goes into a garbage bin is food or garden waste which can be turned into rich compost, reducing the amount of rubbish sent to landfill whilst benefiting your garden. Finished compost should have the smell and consistency of top soil Why Compost  • Reduce your household waste by half • Saves garden costs • Can be used as a natural organic fertiliser or mulching material • Avoids the use of chemical fertilisers • Improves plant growth • Composting is very easy • The solution to a smelly wheelie bin How to Compost • Start by placing a small lidded container in the kitchen for all your vegetable scraps. It is best to empty it everyday • Locate a corner of the garden away from the house that can be used for composting • Fork ground underneath for easy entry of earth worms and soil organisms • It is best to keep it covered to prevent moisture loss during dry periods and excess moisture during wet periods • Place kitchen and garden scraps in the compost. You can help it along by adding a fertiliser such as blood and bone and lime to reduce acidity • Layer compost with 5mm of garden soil • Leave compost for 6-8 weeks (you may need two compost piles so you can continue recycling you green wastes) • Use compost as fertiliser or for raising seedlings. Course textured compost may be used as mulch  Most organic materials which will readily decompose are suitable for composting. It works best when a variety of things are used.
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