There are a number of ways to produce compost and there is a method available to suit all lifestyles. The best method for you will depend on what you want to compost - whether you want to compost only food waste, only garden waste or both and whether you have a garden which produces large volumes of garden waste.
Standard Compost Bin
Standard compost bins allow you to compost a mixture of kitchen and garden waste. You can purchase compost bins from a variety of stores including garden centres, hardware stores or online retailers.
You can compost the following materials in a standard compost bin:
YES:
- Fruit and vegetables
- Shredded cardboard and paper
- Tea leaves
- Coffee grounds
- Cut flowers
- Bedding from pet cages
- Egg shells
- House plants
NO:
- Cooked food
- Raw meat and fish
- Nappies, glass, plastic or metal
- Cat or dog litter
- Coke or coal ash
- Diseased plants
Food Digester (green Cone)
Food digesters (of which one type is Green Cone) break down food waste into a nutrient rich liquid that seeps into the soil in your garden You can put the following in a Green Cone:
YES:
- Fruit and vegetables
- Tea leaves
- Coffee grounds
- Cooked food
- Egg shells
- Raw meat and fish
NO:
- Bedding from pet cages
- Cat or dog litter
- Cut flowers
- Diseased plants
- Feathers
- House plants
Green Johanna
Green Johannas are similar in operation to a standard compost bin but are designed to allow you to compost meat, fish and cooked food as well.
You can compost the following in a Green Johanna:
YES:
- Bedding from pet cages
- Coffee grounds
- Cooked food
- Cut flowers
- Egg shells
- Feathers
- Fruit and vegetables
- Garden waste
- House plants
- Raw meat and fish
- Shredded cardboard and paper
- Tea leaves
NO:
- Cat or dog litter
- Coke or coal ash
- Diseased plants
- Nappies, glass, plastic or metal
Composting with worms
Composting with worms (which is often called vermi-composting) is useful if you want to compost vegetable kitchen waste (excluding meat and fish). You can compost the following in a wormery:
YES:
- Coffee grounds
- Cooked vegetables
- Fruit and vegetables
- Shredded paper and cardboard
- Tea leaves
NO:
- Bedding from pet cages
- Cat or dog litter
- Cut flowers
- Coke or coal ash
- Diseased plants
- Feathers
- House plants
- Nappies, glass, plastic or metal
- Raw meat and fish
