What can I compost….
Activators, quick to rot:
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Comfrey leaves
Nettle leaves
Grass cuttings
Poultry manures
Young weeds
Slower to rot:
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Fruit and Vegetable scraps
Tea bags and Coffee grounds
Old straw and hay
Vegetable plant remains
Manures with straw
Old flowers and bedding plants
Young hedge clippings
Soft prunings
Perennial weeds
Gerbil, Hamster, Rabbit and other vegetarian bedding.
Very slow to rot:
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Autumn leaves
Tough hedge clippings
Woody prunings
Sawdust and wood shavings
Other compostable items:
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Wood ash
Cardboard
Paper towels, bags and packaging
Cardboard tubes and egg boxes
Junk mail
Best avoided:
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Meat fish and dairy products (unless in a Digester type bin)
Newspaper (unless is small amounts and scrunched up)
Cooked food (unless in a Digester type bin)
DO NOT COMPOST:
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Coal or coke ash
Cat litter
Dog faeces (small amounts can be placed in a Digester type bin)
Disposable nappies.
The right balance:
Composting organisms require two main types of ‘food’ which we call “Greens” and
“Browns”. We recommend an approximately equal proportion of Greens and Browns
for home compost bins. Rebalancing the proportion of Greens and Browns can solve
many composting problems; for example, if the compost gets wet and slimy there will
be too high a proportion of Greens in the bin. You can remedy this by adding more
Brown materials such as leaves or sawdust.
Browns:
Purpose:
Description:
Example:
Provide energy for the composting organisms
Dry, fibrous material
Paper, Cardboard, Dry leaves, Woody prunings
Greens:
Purpose:
Description:
Example:
Provides nutrients for composting organisms
Soft, sappy materials
Kitchen waste, Grass clippings, Young weeds.
Too wet:
Effect:
Result:
Caused by;
Solution:
Air spaces become clogged restricting the amount of oxygen available
to the composting organisms
Mixture appears slimy or water logged; unpleasant smells.
Too many ‘Greens’ which contain high levels of moisture.
Add more ‘Browns’
Too dry:
Effect:
Result:
Caused by:
Solution:
Materials become harder for the micro-organisms to break down.
Composting slows down and may almost come to a stop.
Materials do not break down; ants may build nests in the bin.
Too many ‘Browns’
Add more ‘Greens’ or additional moisture.