Turning your rubbish into fertilizer
Every year, Australians throw away thousands of tonnes of household waste. Next time you take out your wheelie bin, look at what you are throwing away!
Almost half of our domestic rubbish consists of kitchen and garden waste. Most of this material can be composted. Composting reduces the amount of rubbish we throw away, decreases our need for landfill sites and provides a chemical-free fertilizer for our gardens.
Composting is a cheap and hygienic method of converting your kitchen and garden waste into a clean-smelling material used in the garden as a soil conditioner. Properly controlled, it should end up as a dark, crumbly fertilizer with a pleasant, earthy smell.
Compost not only returns nutrients to the soil that would otherwise be lost, but also improves soil structure and increases the water holding capacity of the soil.
Composting is not new. Compost has been used in crop production for over 4000 years. Artificial fertilizers only became widely available a century ago. Australia, an old, eroded continent, is suffering from land degradation. Composting is one of the keys to soil care in rural and urban situations.
How to compost?
Step 1 - Choose a warm position outside where the compost has direct contact with dirt or soil.
Step 2 - Place course twigs on the bottom of the compost to help with drainage and air flow.
Step 3 - Organise your organic waste in a bin or pile. Put kitchen waste on the compost heap, but NO meat, bread or dairy foods.
Step 4 - Layer your compost, alternating between nitrogen-rich green layers (e.g. lawn clippings, weeds, kitchen scraps, manure) and carbon-rich brown layers (e.g. dried leaves, branches, straw, shredded paper, egg shells).
Step 5 - Keep your pile moist (not soaking wet) with tea and coffee grounds, or grey water from the kitchen.
Step 6 - Ensure your pile is aerated by turning it with a garden fork or compost turner to allow air in.
Step 7 - Keep your pile covered – this will ensure it doesn’t dry out or get too soggy in the rain.
Help! I have a compost problem
You need the right balance of moisture, heat, air and materials to have a successful compost environment. Here are some common problems and suggested solutions:
Not breaking down
- Add water
- Add equal amounts of veggie scraps or fresh lawn clippings with fallen leaves or straw
- Create better air circulation by punching holes in your bin
Smelly
- Add wood ash or dolomite to neutralise the heap
- Rebuild with some dry materials
Flies
- Cover organic waste with a layer of soil
- Avoid meat or dairy products
Too Wet
- Improve drainage under the heap
- Mix in some dry carbon-rich materials, e.g. shredded newspaper and hay
Vermin
- Cover each organic layer with soil and place the bin on a layer of fine mesh
- Always keep the lid on
Not suitable for composting!
Some organic waste items encourage vermin and smell when they decompose. Avoid putting these items in your compost heap/bin:
- Fats and oils
- Meat products
- Dairy products
- Cat or dog faeces
Also, avoid man-made materials such as plastic, steel, aluminium and glass for safety reasons.