Home Composting

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Interested in volunteering around your local community or passionate about composting?  Then why not volunteer as a Master Composter?

''I was amazed to realise how many of the things that I thought useless could be transformed into ready to use compost''
Charnwood Borough Council resident

1/3 of the household waste could be composted and diverted from landfill

All uncooked vegetable kitchen waste and some garden waste can be broken down into a useful soil conditioner as a substitute for peat. When green waste is landfilled, it breaks down to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas, so composting helps to reduce this. Home composting, means that you get the first hand benefits of recycling to use on your garden!

In order to have a rich and healthy compost it is really important to feed your bin with the right ingredients.

Good things you can compost include vegetable peelings, fruit waste, teabags, plant prunings and grass cuttings. These are considered as ''greens''. Greens are quick to rot and they provide important nitrogen and moisture. Other things you can compost include cardboard egg boxes, scrunched up paper and small twigs. These are considered ''browns'' and are slower to rot. they provide fibre and carbon and also allow important air pockets to form in the mixture. Crushed eggshells can be included to add useful minerals in the final compost.

However, there are certain things that should never be placed in your bin.
 

Please do NOT put in:

• Non-living things such as plastics, bottle tops, food wrappers, metals
• Cooked vegetables
• Meat
• Dairy products
• Cooking oils
• Diseased plants
• Dog poo, cat litter
• Baby's nappies

Putting these in your bin can encourage unwanted pests and can also create odour.

The key to good compost lies in getting the mix right. You need to keep your greens and browns properly balanced. If your compost is too wet and gives off an odour, add more browns. If it's too dry and it's not rotting, add some greens. Air is essential to the composting process and by mixing the material up, as you fill your bin, it will create air pockets and help keep your compost healthy.

You can find out about the current Leicestershire Waste Partnership home composter offer by calling 0116 305 7005 or visit www.leics.gov.uk/waste. Alternatively, apply now to become a volunteer Master Composter and help promote home composting throughout the County; again call 0116 305 7005 or visit http://www.lesswaste.org.uk/index/composting/master_composter.htm