Home Composting

Home composting

An even better way of reducing the environmental impact of your garden waste is to compost at home. Home composting in a compost bin is a great way to deal with your garden waste and create nutrient-rich fertiliser for use in your garden. It takes about a year for compost to rot down, after which you can apply it to your flowerbeds, plant pots or vegetable patch.

Where can I get a compost bin?

You can buy a subsidised compost bin from your local council. If you have limited space, you could try a wormery, which is also available from your local authority in north London. Wormeries are easy and fun to use: simply add your organic waste and after a few months the worms will have eaten it all, leaving behind a fantastic fertiliser and a nutrient-rich liquid, which can be diluted for use as plant food. Contact your local council to obtain a compost bin or wormery:

Barnet

Camden

Enfield

Hackney

Haringey

Islington

Tips for home composting

Home composting is a rewarding process, but it can be tricky to get the hang of if you are just starting out. Below are some useful tips to get the process going:

Use a decent compost bin
Keep your compost bin in a level, well-drained spot.
Welcome worms!
Include a mix of material that provides both nitrogen (fruit and vegetable waste, grass cuttings) and carbon (paper, cardboard, fallen leaves). Keep up a good mix of greens and browns!
Keep certain items, such as meat or dairy products, nappies, animal faeces or diseased plants, out of your compost bin to avoid pests and smells.
Turn your compost to allow air in.

You can find out more about composting here.