How to home compost

Take a look at our video showing how easy it is to compost at home...

Top tips

  • Place your compost bin on bare ground to allow worms and other creatures in (they help break down the waste)
  • Find a sunny spot as this will help speed up the composting process
  • Ensure a good circulation of air in the compost bin, by layering twigs at the bottom of your compost bin
  • Allow the waste to rot down for about nine months until it looks like dark crumbly soil

To make good compost, you need to get the right mix of materials:

  • 'Green' organic waste
  • 'Brown' organic waste

By mixing them together in a home compost bin they rot down naturally to make compost. The key thing is to add a 50:50 mix of nitrogen-rich (green) waste and carbon-based (brown) waste...

Green waste

  • Raw vegetables
  • Fruit and vegetable peelings
  • Grass cuttings
  • Plant trimmings
  • Tea bags / coffee grinds
  • Nettles
  • Dead flowers

Brown waste

  • Shredded paper
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Toilet roll tubes
  • Straw or hay
  • Natural fibres eg wool
  • Woody hedge clippings
  • Sawdust / wood chips