Introduction to Composting

The team at Cockatoo Community House and The Hills Community Garden have kindly provided us an introduction to composting.

What do I need?
All you need is organic matter and space in a garden or even just a container and if none of the above are possible find out what your local council or community has on offer. Some councils now offer a small compost bin that is supplied with your green bin so you can send all your compostable waste off with the weekly bin collection.

A compost pile will be successful when you have a good balance of organic matter, water, oxygen, time and all the good organisms to help with the breakdown process. There are so many ways to compost you just need to find what suits you and your lifestyle.

Types of composting

Spinning aerial bins
On ground bins or piles
Buckets or sealed containers
Vermicomposting (worm farm)

Ingredients for a successful compost

Greens – see table below
Browns – see table below
Water
Oxygen – either by turning the compost pile or layering with browns
Worms/ insects
Animal manures like sheep, chicken, cow or horse.
Other – eggshells, hair, vacuum cleaner contents

Ingredients to avoid

Inorganic materials coloured & glossy paper
Animal products like meat, bones, fish, dairy, fats
Pet poo (there are special compost systems e.g. Ensopet)
Diseased plants (eg rust, mildew)

Greens / wet (Nitrogen rich)	Brown / dry (Carbon rich)
Vegetable scraps	Hay
Leaves	Sawdust
Grass clippings	Dry leaves (shredded)
Weeds (without seeds)	Brown paper bags
Seaweed	Newspaper (shredded)
Coffee grounds	Cardboard boxes
Tea leaves (avoid plastic bags)	Toilet rolls
Aged manures	Mulched trees/branches

Common problems:

Too dry? Water it
Too wet? Add more browns
Vinegary flies? Add more browns
Starting to smell bad? Add more browns and aerate it
Not breaking down? Add more greens
Rats getting in? Check that you’re not putting in dairy, meat or bread

If composting excites you but you don’t think you can do it just yet why not check out Sharewaste to donate your scraps to a local composter or get in touch with your local community gardens.

Join the Cockatoo Sustainable Food Project for weekly “Zoom in on your Garden” Q&A sessions, and further gardening resources and support from local community.

Need more inspiration, motivation or information about composting? You can find lots of upcoming events as part of Compost Awareness Week 2nd – 8th May 2021.