Home composting top tips
Start your compost bin or heap with a layer of twigs on the ground. This will help air to circulate and will speed up the process of composting.
Have a good mixture of green nitrogen rich materials, e.g. grass clippings and tougher carbon rich materials like leaves and young prunings. If you do not have much brown or woody waste use some cardboard to stop compost getting slimy.
Cut up tougher hedge clippings and prunings.
If you mow the lawn, don't put all the grass clippings in at once, layer them with small strips of newspaper.
It is best not to put cooked food, meat or dairy product on your compost heap as it attracts vermin.
If your compost heap is very dry, water it to add some moisture.
To help speed up the process get air into your compost by either turning it over with a fork or using a broom handle to make holes in the compost.
If you have a lot of material to compost, use more than one compost bin or heap. When one is full you can leave it to fully compost and start on the next one.
If you have large quantities of leaves use them to make leaf-mould. Put wet leaves into black bin bags and tie loosely. Leave for a year and then you can use it on your garden.
composting does not have to be hard work. If you don't do anything to your compost heap your heap will still make compost. However it will take longer for you to get compost that you can put on your garden.
Tips taken from Recycle Now www.recyclenow.com/