Make your own compost

Home composting is becoming increasingly popular in households up and down the country and looks set to
become the new recycling trend of 2006.

More and more people are starting to realise the benefits of composting at home, not to mention finding out just how easy it is to recycle their kitchen and garden waste to produce free fertiliser to nourish their gardens.

And with a heightened awareness of the environment, people are beginning to recognise that we must all take responsibility for trying to keep it cleaner.

Home composting is an easy and simple way to reduce the amount of rubbish we send to landfill sites.

It is not just for the green fingered amongst us - but is suitable for everyone wanting to do their bit for the environment and recycle more of their household waste.

Home composting is simple to do as it requires relatively little effort and there is no need for high tech equipment or a list of endless instructions to follow.

The only thing you will need is a compost bin and plenty of kitchen
and garden waste.

Start by positioning your bin on bare soil so that helpful mini creatures can get in easily to start munching on your waste. You should also make sure to maintain a healthy balance of materials in your compost bin.

You need a mix of roughly 50 per cent "green" material, which includes things like fruit and vegetable peelings, tea-bags and grass clippings, and 50 per cent "brown" material found in woody substances like egg shells, dead leaves and scrunched up paper.

When adding woody material, be sure to chop or shred it first, as this will help it decompose. Then, to kick start your composting process, why not try adding a handful of garden soil along with some nettles which are great compost activators.

Composting is an activity for all the family. The kids will love helping gather twigs and leaves from the garden, as well as carrying the kitchen peelings to the bin.

The process does require some patience as it can take between six and nine months to produce good quality compost.

But in the meantime they can help mix the compost, something which should be done every month or so in order to encourage oxygen to get into the compost to help with the decomposition process, particularly during the warmer summer months.

It's all about team work, according to residents of one Norfolk village who have come together to set up a Community Composting Scheme.

Approximately 50 people living in Denton are now involved in the scheme which sees garden waste collected from outside homes to be turned into fresh, usable compost.

Residents Liz Cargill and Anne Carden were two of the people involved in setting up the project nearly three years ago.

"We have now completed two seasons - this will be our third," explained Liz.

"We put out a questionnaire to see who was likely to use the scheme and of 140 households, 90 said they were interested."

The scheme runs from April until October. Volunteers take it in turns to pull a trailer round the village each week, collecting up the waste.

The bags are then emptied into large bins, which have been set up in the corner of a field. The volunteers take it in turns to turn the compost, ensuring it heats up properly and is oxygenated.

"The following year, we then fill the bags with the compost and deliver it to everyone who has taken part," said Liz.

"Last year I used mine for my hanging baskets."

And she added: "The scheme seems to be working well. It saves all those people making a 14 mile round trip to the Recycling Centre to get rid of their garden waste and they do like to have the compost afterwards."

• WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) launched the Home Composting Campaign in March 2004 with the aim of diverting 400,000 tonnes of waste from landfill by encouraging one million consumers in Britain to compost at home.
  
  WRAP is working closely with Norfolk Council to encourage local residents to purchase a compost bin from their local council.
  
  Norfolk residents have a choice of two bins: Convertabin 220 litre bin at £8, the Compost Converter 330 litre at £10.
  
  To place your order call 0845 077 0759 or by visiting www.recylenow.com/compost
  

• WRAP has a team of expert Home Composting Advisors, each dedicated to a specific UK region.

  The Advisors are available to help local council partners and members of the public with information or guidance relating to any aspect of home composting.

  Beyond being a great source of advice, Home Composting Advisors attend a number of local events and shows and attend a variety of community events to encourage people to start home composting and help them to continue composting successfully.

  Home Composting Advisors can be reached by contacting the Home Composting helpline (0845 600 0323) or directly via email.

  So why not take up home composting today? It's easy to do, works wonders for your garden and ultimately helps towards a creating a cleaner environment for us all.