Quick guide to composting

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Around 30% of the household waste currently sent to landfill sites could be composted instead. Composting the right materials can produce fantastic food for your garden as it generates valuable nutrients which can then be placed back into the ground.

What to compost
While there is lots of household waste that can be composted, it's important to make sure you only put the correct types of things onto your compost heap.

Do compost:

uncooked vegetable peelings, salad and fruit

"soft" garden waste such as grass clippings, hedge trimmings and leaves.

old indoor plants/flowers

shredded paper

cardboard (ripped into smaller strips with any sellotape/plastic/staples removed)

tea bags and coffee grounds To get the best compost possible, make sure you add a mixture of the above materials to your compost heap.

DON'T compost:

cooked food

meat/bones

fish

dairy products

cat/dog litter/poo

large logs/pieces of wood

coal ash

Where to compost
To keep your compost in order, it's best to collect it in a compost bin. You can choose from a variety of different composting bins in our Big Green Shop

Many local authorities also sell compost bins nowadays, often at discounted prices, so it's well worth checking with your council as your first point of call. You can also buy them at most garden centres and DIY stores.

Alternatively, you could build your own compost bin from materials such as waste timber, bricks/rocks, old car tyres or wire meshing.

Whichever method you opt for, be sure to keep the base of your compost container open so that moisture and nutrients from the soil below will benefit your compost.

Top composting tips

Smaller items compost quicker than large items so cut up any large items into smaller pieces before adding them to your heap.

You can speed up the composting process further by adding small amounts of soil, already-finished compost or compost accelerant to your heap. Worms are also great for speeding up the process.

Try to top up your compost regularly with new waste materials. The added moisture from fresh materials such as kithcen waste or grass cuttings will help your compost stay healthy.

The time it takes for your compost to be ready to put back onto your garden will vary depending on the materials used so can vary from anything from 6 months to a couple of years. Your patience will be rewarded though when you have lots of fantastically healthy compost to put onto your garden and give your plants and flowers a nutritious boost.

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