To make good compost, you need to get the right mix of:
- brown organic materials
- green organic materials
By mixing them together with air compost is produced. Composting will happen naturally so don't be too concerned about the technical aspects. Ultimately nature will do the work for you but you should try to get a good 50:50 mix of carbon-based (browns) material and Nitrogen-rich (greens) material.
‘Green’ items
- raw vegetable peelings and fruit
- grass cuttings
- plant trimmings and flowers
- tea bags / coffee grinds
- small amounts of leaves
- dead flowers
‘Brown’ items
- shredded paper
- cardboard boxes
- toilet roll tubes
- straw or hay
- natural textiles e.g. wool
- woody hedge clippings
- animal bedding (from herbivorous (vegetarian) pets only)
Although it will rot down technically, we strongly urge that you do not add cooked food, meat or bread to you compost bin because this may attract vermin.
Top tips
- Place your compost bin in the sun this will increase the temperature inside the unit, and will help speed up the composting process.
- Ensure a good circulation of air in the compost bin, by layering twigs, cut flowers or remains of house plants at the bottom of the unit.
As the material composts in the bin it will become increasingly moist, and will begin to condense, this reduces the amount of air inside the bin. Ensure a good circulation of air by poking the compost with a stick or turning it with a garden fork occasionally. For more information on the technical aspects of home composting download the the attachments, or follow the links on this page.