Ipswich City Council

Composting

Composting...Did you know?

Almost half of our domestic rubbish consists of kitchen and garden waste.
The breakdown of this organic waste makes excellent compost, a natural fertiliser for our gardens.
Composting has been used in crop production for over 4000 years!
Composting reduces the amount of organic waste currently ending up in landfill and helps extend the life of the landfill.
Using compost on your garden will help to improve your garden by avoiding the use of chemical fertilisers.
If you compost you are helping improve the quality and structure of the soil.
Composting will also save you money and most importantly help the environment as well!!

Composting Problems

Problem	Cause	Solution
Foul Odours	Heap is too wet	Add dry leaves. Turn the heap with a fork to improve drainage. Add 250g of garden lime and cover a loose heap during rain or keep the lid on your compost bin.
Slow Decay	Not enough nutrients Not enough air Not enough water Too cold in winter	Add 250g of blood and bone or another nitrogen-based fertiliser. Turn the heap regularly with a fork to aerate it. Moisten the heap with water or use tea, teabags or coffee grounds. Cover the heap with insulation material (such as hessian or carpet).
Maggots	Meat, seafood, fats or faeces in the compost	Remove the cause and cover the maggots with lime. Add soil to the top of the heap and turn the heap the next day.

Feeding a Compost

Many household wastes can be added to your compost including:

vegetable and food scraps
fallen leaves in layers
tea leaves, teabags and coffee grounds
vacuum cleaner dust
grass cuttings and dead flowers
egg shells and stale bread
old newspaper and cardboard (wet)
grass cuttings and garden waste
sawdust and wood shavings

What should I NOT put in my compost?

Meat (including bones) and dairy products (these tend to attract vermin)
Diseased plants
Metals, plastic and glass
Fat, oil or salt
Magazines
Large branches and weeds with bulbs

What do I do with my compost?

Compost is ready to use when it has a crumbly appearance and smells like earth and the material has all decomposed. The compost can be used as mulch on garden beds and sprinkled around potted plants. The compost is a natural and nutrient-rich fertiliser that beats any chemical fertiliser.

The best news is that using compost reduces the rubbish going into your refuse bin and saves space in the landfill. Your garden and the environment will thank you!

How to Start Composting

First things first...composting is simple.

Although composting can be done in open heaps, it may be better to use a bin or enclosure. This will keep pests and vermin away from your compost and keep the compost together, tidy and sheltered from the weather.

You can buy a commercially made compost bin from Ipswich Waste Services, hardware stores or garden nurseries. Many compost bins are black or dark green and this helps absorb and trap heat from the sun, which speeds up the decomposition process.

The Home Garden WaterWise Rebate Scheme is a Queensland Government package of new incentives designed to support householders throughout Queensland by making their garden more water efficient during this time of severe drought. This includes encouraging gardeners to compost and worm farm.

Home-made composts are also a good option. Use bricks, blocks or timber to construct a compost enclosure. An old rubbish bin also makes an excellent DIY compost. Place it upside down on the soil. Cut the bottom out of the bin and place the lid over this hole. Access the compost by lifting off the bin lid...as simple as that!!!

What a Compost Needs

To make sure your compost is working at its best, it needs a proper mix of the following ingredients:

Carbon
Nitrogen
Oxygen (air)
Water

The organic waste in the compost is broken down by microbes (bacteria) as well as by the action of larger creatures, like worms, ants and other soil insects. The key to keeping a good compost is to provide a healthy environment and nutrition for the rapid decomposers, the compost bacteria.

Composts work best if there is more carbon than nitrogen in the pile (between 25:1 to 30:1).

Ingredients with higher carbon content include:

dry, straw-type material
leaves
sawdust and wood chips
paper and cardboard

Ingredients with high nitrogen content include:

grass clippings
dead weeds, flowers, plants
manure
fruit and veggie scraps

Carbon provides cellulose needed by the bacteria to change into sugars and heat. Nitrogen provides the most concentrated protein allowing the compost bacteria to survive.

The essential requirements for a happy and healthy compost are nutrients, air and water.

In addition, layering of different compost material will make a well-balanced compost. Start with a layer of branches and twigs, then add a layer of garden clippings, leaves or dead flowers and then add layers of other compost material.

The simplest way to keeping a compost healthy is to remember A-D-A-M!

Air: regularly turning your compost with a fork, allowing air to enter.
Diversity: adding a range of different organic materials to your compost.
Aliveness: encouraging worms and organisms from the soil to enter and live in your compost and assist in the breakdown of material.
Moisture: occasionally adding some water to your compost to ensure it is kept damp.

How Composting Works

Composting is the natural breakdown of organic material into a loose and ‘earth-like' substance. A compost bin (or similar) confines the organic material and helps control conditions so that breakdown is accelerated and optimised.

Earthworms and other micro-organisms/bugs in the soil can help the composting process by assisting in the breakdown process.

Last Updated 26 Feb 2008 |

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