Home Composting

Did you know that more than 30% of the average household bin can be composted?

Home composting saves money, saves energy, saves water and provides free garden compost year after year.

For those interested in trying home composting, now is the perfect time to get started. Householders can purchase home compost bins for as little as £18.50

For further information and special offers, follow the Get Composting website

What is composting? 

Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into valuable food for your garden soil. Finished compost is great for feeding your flower beds, vegetable plots, and for mixing into planters, and can make your garden bloom.

By composting at home, you can reduce the amount of rubbish you put out for collection in your black or brown bin, and you return important nutrients and minerals to your soil.

Composting is cheap, it’s easy to make, and it’s even easier to use.

Home composting units should always be placed directly on to your garden. Do not place the composter on to slabs or polythene as this slows down the rotting process and stops worms and insects entering the bin and breaking down the material.

From an environmental point of view, home composting is the best option for dealing with waste that otherwise would end up in landfill or as a soil improver for someone else. It also reduces the amount of waste for collection, transportation and incineration.

What can I put in a compost bin?

  • Fruit, salad and vegetable peelings

  • Fallen leaves, grass cuttings and hedge trimmings

  • Cardboard egg boxes and egg shells

  • Plants that have died but were not diseased

  • Teabags.

What can't I put in a compost bin?

  • Raw or cooked meat and fish

  • Dairy products

  • Uneaten food from meal times

  • Diseased plants or weeds

  • Glossy magazines

  • Animal waste.