Residents

What have you given back to the Earth lately?

Did you know that over half of the domestic waste going to landfill is compostable? Backyard composting of certain food scraps and yard trimmings can significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Finished compost can improve soil texture, increase the ability of soil to absorb air and water, suppress weed growth and reduce the need to apply commercial soil additives.

Composting is the biological decay process that converts leaves, grass and food scraps into crumbly earth-like substances. It is nature's way of recycling organic wastes into new soil.

Composting is easy. Just follow these 6 simple steps:

1. Choose whether you want a bin or a heap.
2. Layer the bottom with coarse materials (from your garden) then fine materials (from your kitchen). A 1cm layer of soil can be added to aid the composting process. Repeat these steps until all materials are used up.
3. Water each layer to ensure that materials are moist.
4. Keep each layer 1-2 cm thick and use a variety of materials in each layer.
5. Cover your heap with a carpet or Hessian.
6. Turn every two weeks.

After about eight weeks the finished compost should be dark, crumbly and sweet smelling and ready to put into the garden.

Click on pdf below for an Easy Compost guide:

 Easy Guide to Composting.pdf  (519 kb)

Where can you get a compost bin from?