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What is composting? :: Why should I compost? :: What can be composted?
Spring into composting! :: Wormeries and Food Digesters :: Bargain Bins!
Composting is an entirely natural process by which nature returns the valuable nutrients contained in dead plant material back to the soil. By composting at home you can harness this process for your benefit. Instead of throwing your kitchen and garden waste away, you are able to use it to produce a valuable soil-improver.
Composting at home reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill sites. Kitchen and garden waste is known as organic waste. Up to 40% of household waste is organic and therefore suitable for composting. Making your own compost saves you money by reducing the need to buy soil improvers and mulches.
In Cheshire, the organic waste deposited at our Household Waste Recycling Centres is taken away for composting but you could save yourself the time and trouble of bagging and transporting it by making your own compost at home.
You AND your environment benefit from home composting!
The majority of your kitchen and garden waste is suitable for composting, however there are some things that you should avoid:
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Yes! |
No! |
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fruit and vegetable peelings
teabags and eggshells
dead plants, grass clippings, hedge trimmings, woody prunings
rabbit and guinea pig bedding
newspaper and cardboard |
cooked food, meat, fish, bones or dairy products
dog or cat faeces
glossy coloured paper or laminated card |
Spring heralds the return of the warmer temperatures which drive the composting process. However, there are a few points to bear in mind:
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Grass clippings - composting grass alone can produce a soggy mess. Tear a newspaper into strips and add as a layer, before putting grass into your compost bin. After a couple of days mix it all up with a garden fork.
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Fruit flies - the tiny white flies that appear around the top of the compost bin. They are quite harmless and feed on exposed fruit and vegetable waste. Each time they appear, just sprinkle soil to cover the bin contents and they should disappear.
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Air - the creatures that compost our waste need oxygen just like us. During Spring and Summer, they are more active and need a steady supply. To keep them happy, agitate the compost bin contents with a garden fork every couple of weeks to provide air channels through the material.
The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are also offering wormeries and food waste digesters at low cost on the Recycle Now website. Wormeries are perfect for patios and balconies and the wormery on offer is easy to assemble and has a layered structure that allows easy access to the compost.
Food waste digesters are a way of disposing of all kitchen food waste including cooked and uncooked food, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, bread, pasta, fruit scraps and vegetable peelings. WRAP are offering a variety of different types of food waste digesters including the Green Cone, the Green Johanna and Bokashi units.
Bargain Bins!
Cheshire County Council, in partnership with the six District Councils, is offering reduced price compost bins to Cheshire residents. The offer is limited to three bins per household and bins are available from only £8 including delivery!
Why not download our Guide to Home Composting leaflet and give it a go!
Waste Homepage
Waste Management Service, Backford Hall, Chester CH1 6PX Map
General Enquiries Tel: 01244 973000 Fax: 01244 973746
waste@cheshire.gov.uk |