by: Julianne Boulton
Natural organic matter (essentially anything that is living or was once alive) goes through a growth (build-up) and decomposition (break-down) cycle. When we throw away anything that can be composted, the material ends up in a landfill site. The natural cycle is then broken by not allowing organic matter to break-down properly. Composting can help this natural organic cycle to continue. By composting you reduce the amount of waste that you and your household produce. Additionally you gain natural fertilizer for your plants, eliminating the need to buy any artificial fertilizer.
Composting is simple and easy. A home-made compost bin can be made by nailing together four wooden boards of equal size. Most local authorities will give out free compost bins, which is something that you might want to look into before you decide to build your own. Compost bins can also be purchased from the store easily.
Although essentially any food waste will compost with time, there are a few items that you must not put into your compost bin. Fish and meat waste, dairy products, eggs, oil, butter etc. should not be added to your compost as they may create odour problems and attract rodents and pests. Leaving a separate bin in your kitchen into which you can add waste food that is suitable for composting will help you to separate your waste easily.
If you add plant material from your garden into your compost you should make sure that you don’t add any weedy plant waste. When the compost is used for other plants there is a chance that seeds from weedy plants may persist and start growing. Pest waste should also be avoided as they may introduce disease causing pathogens.
The essential materials for successful compost are carbon, nitrogen, water and oxygen. You can add carbon by adding ‘brown’ material which is generally dry. Brown materials include cotton or wool rags, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, fireplace ashes (from wood burning), hay and straw, garden plant waste (e.g., leaves, branches, twigs), houseplants, Wood chips, leaves, newspaper, cardboard and any other clean paper. Shredding leaves and newspaper before adding will speed-up the process of decomposition. Nitrogen rich materials are generally moist. Uncooked or cooked fruits and vegetables, bread and grains, coffee grounds and filters, grass clippings, paper tea bags (with the staple removed) all fall under this category. Watering your compost bin every time you add new material is essential. Regularly turning your pile of compost will help supply oxygen to your hard working microbes, so that they can perform better.