Create your own compost

Your Challenge

Instead of buying compost, make your own. We have some tips below for those with a garden or outdoor space, and we've made some suggestions for those living in a flat also: 

1. Start by buying or making a compost heap or bin that’s right for you:

• A compost heap is just a pile of organic matter. You can build a small fence around it to turn it into a designated area. This can be useful if you have pets.  
• Alternatively, you could buy a compost bin. These are typically made of plastic and will keep the soil and organic matter contained. They are a good first-time option, and you can find many second-hand ones being given away!
• For those with more budget, you could buy a ‘hot composter’, which has thick insulated sides and will break down the organic matter in a faster time. This is ideal for people with large gardens or lots of waste.

2. Put a pot or container next to your sink to collect your compost waste; you can take this to your outside compost bin at the end of each week.

3. Make sure you know what you can compost. Never add cooked food, oil or drinks. You can compost coffee grounds, loose leaf tea, rinsed and crushed eggshells, uneaten or mouldy fruit and veg (plus peelings), old flowers, weeds (except those with seeds), garden waste, wood ash, straw and torn up cardboard (no sticky tape or labels!). 

4. Put a sheet of cardboard over the waste inside the bin too, to keep in the heat from the composting process.

5. If your compost bin gets full, stick a fork in it and turn the compost to aerate it: the pile will soon reduce down and this speeds up the process.

6. Finally, remember compost needs to be balanced, with two parts brown (carbon) to every one-part green (nitrogen), otherwise your compost will be too rich in nitrogen:  

• ‘Green’ is matter that contains nitrogen. It includes fruit and veg peelings, coffee grounds, teabags, fresh grass clippings, weeds, flowers and eggshells.  
• Brown matter is high in carbon. It includes dried leaves, cardboard, paper, wood chips, straw, pine needles and newspaper.

If your compost starts to smell, you need to add more brown. If it’s dry, add leftover rainwater to your compost bin to help things break down, but not too much or your worms might drown.

If you live in a flat, or don’t have an outdoor space, don’t worry, you can still compost your food waste. There are indoor options such as worm bins, or bokashi systems. Both are contained within one unit, requiring you to add your waste and sometimes additional bacteria or water to help things break down.