Composting

Composting is using a different bin called a compost bin for items such as vegetable scraps and garden prunings.

After about four months the scraps decompose and make a good garden fertiliser called ‘compost’.

Council sells cheap compost bins for residents and has free delivery in Moreland. 

Location of your compost bin

Choose a well-drained and sunny spot in your garden for your compost bin.

How to start the compost bin

Before you put food scraps or newspaper into the compost bin, put in a layer of:

• twigs or bush cuttings, and 
• lime, soil and manure.
  

How to add to and look after your compost bin

A compost bin must have a balance of 'green' (food scraps, garden cuttings and leaves) and 'brown' (dry materials like newspaper, straw, sawdust and dolomite).

When you add kitchen and garden waste, cover it with a layer of soil.

Other things to help your compost

• Turn your compost every three to five days with a stick.
• Make sure your compost is as moist as a wet sponge. If not, add water.  
• Add worms.

Problems with your compost bin

• Smelly compost is caused by too much moisture and not enough air. To fix, add more dry material like straw, newspaper or dry leaves and turn the heap more often.
• Rats and mice in your compost happens when you add the wrong food  like bread and cakes or too much fresh material. To fix, cover fresh food with a layer of soil or compost and take bread and cakes out of the compost bin.
• Slow compost is caused by not enough nutrients, air and moisture. To fix, add more food scraps, turn the compost more often, add water and add a shovel full of soil and manure.
• Ants in your compost is caused by dry compost. To fix, add more water and food scraps and turn the compost more often.
• White worms are about 1 cm long and can be mistaken for baby worms. They are caused when compost is too acidic. To fix, remove any acidic material like oranges, lemons or onions and add a handful of lime or wood ash and mix well.

Why compost some of your rubbish?

• Good for the environment because less rubbish is transported to landfill for disposal. Less greenhouse gases are made.
• Good for the environment because less rubbish is put in landfill. Landfills in Australia are getting full.
• Free fertiliser for your garden and potplants.
• There's less rubbish in your rubbish bin.

Links

• Cheap compost bins from Council, with free home delivery
• Composting: the facts (PDF 1Mb), an easy-to-follow guide to home composting