Composting your food and garden waste greatly helps to reduce waste sent to landfill. Garden waste, spoiled food and scraps make up a large percentage of what we throw away every day. At Envar, we don’t see this waste as rubbish but as a resource to create something new and wonderful: compost.
Compost naturally contains a high concentration of minerals and millions of micro-organisms that are essential for good quality soil. Adding compost to your garden will give you healthier soil that is full of nutrients to help your plants blossom. So, how can you start composting?
Your local council may collect and recycle food and garden waste on a large scale. This, of course, is the easiest way to compost your waste but you don’t get the use of the compost at the end of the process.
If you wish to recycle your waste to create compost for use in your own garden, you can absolutely make your own compost. The two most popular methods for composting at home or a compost heap or a compost bin.
- Compost Heap: A compost heap is a very easy way to start composting if you have the space available. Compost heaps should ideally be situated on soil in a sunny or partly shaded area. A compost heap sat directly on the soil will become a haven for worms who will help to speed up the composting process. Be sure to turn your heap regularly with a spade or fork to encourage air into the heap and speed up composting.
- Compost Bin: Compost bins work well for smaller gardens. They are more discreet and are fully portable too. They also work well for gardens which are very exposed to the wind where a compost heap may not be a viable option. You can find compost bins in a wide range of sizes and materials to suit your garden or you can make your own. Be sure to include air holes so oxygen can enter the bin.
Whichever method you use, try to aim for a good mix of brown waste (50%-75%) and green waste (25%-50%). Click here to find out more about brown waste and green waste as well as more information on exactly what you can compost.
Homemade garden compost typically takes between 6 months and 2 years to mature. Your compost is ready to use when it has turned dark brown in colour with a crumbly soil-like texture. Mature compost will usually have a smell resembling damp woodland. Homemade compost may not look as uniform as bulk produced compost but should still be perfectly fine for use all over your garden.