|
It was only a matter of time before this gentle green column slid into the seamier side of life; this
month we are talking dirt...good clean dirt mind! If you are in a muddle over what to do with your pumpkins once
Halloween has passed, then worry no more. Compost. It is the new black, trust me.
This summer saw the purchase of the one millionth home compost bin in a scheme run by WRAP (Waste and resources
action programme), saving a predicted 400,000 tonnes of kitchen and garden waste from landfill and in turn helping to make
our gardens beautiful. At a time when,alas, one third of all food ends up being thrown away, this passion for home composting
is wonderful news.
TV presenter Philippa Forrester, who has a degree in Ecology and Conservation, said: "Home Composting is so
fashionable these days – all my friends are taking it up. It is an easy way to do your bit for the environment in your
own home.
"It is vital that we all do as much as we can to cut the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfill
sites. When this organic waste is sent to landfill it is unable to decompose properly: squashed under all the other waste,
it breaks down without access to oxygen and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming."
Once you have got the composting bug it is so satisfying to see the amount being deposited in your regular
bin rapidly decrease. There are also plenty of schemes to help you get started at a low initial cost. For ideas take a look
at www.recyclenow.com Southwark council has teamed up with local charity CRISP to offer subsidised home composting kits and wormeries
to local residents. Contact them at www.crispej.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7252 7709
Now you are up and running, Jane Gilbert, Chief Executive of the Composting Association gives her tips for making your
own compost. ‘’If you follow these tips you will have your own supply of top quality compost in no time at all:
1 Put your compost bin in the garden on bare soil.
2 Good compost needs the right mix of ingredients. Create a good carbon to nitrogen ratio, browns to greens. Dried flowers,
woody stems and cardboard (browns) are high in carbon; fresh grass cuttings and kitchen waste (greens) are high in nitrogen.
3 Composting works best of you add a lot of materials at once. Chop large items into small pieces to help speed up the
process. Try to ensure your compost is moist but not wet. Add water if it is too dry, cover and add dry material if it is
too wet.
4 Every now and then introduce air into your bin either by using a garden fork to mix the material or add more scrunched
up paper and card.
5 To help speed up the composting process add a handful of soil, finished compost or a compost accelerator (young nettles
are an excellent natural accelerator).
6 Keep adding a good mixture of materials.
7 Your compost will be ready to use when it resembles dark soil and has a sweet, earthy smell. This can take anywhere between
6 – 24 months.’’
You can compost many organic items. However some work better than others.
|
Do compost |
Do not compost |
|
Uncooked vegetable peelings & fruit
Hedge trimmings
Grass clippings
Leaves
Scrunched up paper
Tea bags and coffee grounds |
Meat/bones
Fish
Dairy products
Cooked food
Coal ash
Cat/dog litter/poo |
So, if you do one thing this month, why not start a compost heap or, if you are short of garden space, investigate a wormery.
Happy composting!
|
