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Compost

Adding waste to a compost bin.

Composting your food scraps and garden waste will reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to landfill.

You can use the compost on your garden to improve your soils and fertilise your plants. By composting your organics, you'll prevent the food from rotting in landfill and releasing methane, a very potent greenhouse gas.

If you don't have space to compost at your place, see if there are people in your community that compost or keep chickens - you might be able to give your food scraps and garden waste to them.

Composting step-by-step guide

Composting step-by-step guide
Step Number Step Name Actions
1 Choose a position
  • When choosing a position, think about how much waste you have, and how much compost you will make.
  • Look for a position that is on open ground (so earthworms can get in and out) and gets some sun (compost needs some heat to work well).
  • Make sure it is easy to get a wheelbarrow in and out so you can get the compost to your garden.
2 Choose a compost bin
  • You can buy or make your compost bin.
  • Purchased compost bins come in various sizes for different amounts of materials. Freestanding compost bins are convenient, rotating drums make compost quickly.
  • You can make your own compost bin with timber planks, bricks or a simple wire enclosure.
  • All compost bins need a lid or cover to keep pets, rats and mice out of the compost, and keep moisture in.
3 Collect compost ingredients
  • Healthy compost needs a mixture of different materials.
  • Collect about three quarters carbon-rich organic materials such as dry leaves, broken up twigs, dried grass clippings, shredded paper and straw.
  • Collect about one quarter nitrogen-rich organic material such as fruit and vegetable peelings, leftover food (not meat or dairy), fresh lawn clippings, fresh leaves, weeds and fresh manure.
  • When you have collected these ingredients you are ready to make them into compost.
4 Make compost
  • Create your compost in layers.
  • Firstly put down a thick layer (15 centimetres) of twigs or coarse mulch at the base for drainage and to help put air into the base.
  • Add a layer of carbon rich material.
  • Add a layer of nitrogen rich material.
  • Add water enough to wet the materials without soaking them.
  • Repeat the layers until your compost bin is full or your materials used up.
  • Cover the compost with a lid, hessian sacks, cardboard or old carpet.
  • Leave the compost for a few weeks (longer in cold weather). It should initially heat up (which starts to break down the materials) then cool down.
  • Every week or so turn the compost to add air and check it is moist.
  • If your compost smells, its probably not getting enough air. Add more carbon materials and turn it over with a garden fork to add air.
5 Use your compost
  • Compost is ready to use when all ingredients are unrecognisable and it looks like deep brown, rich and sweet smelling soil.
  • Use your compost to feed your plants, top dress your lawn, improve your soil and as a base for starting another compost.

More information

There are a lot of resources available about composting. You could contact your local council to find out if they give advice on composting.

Your local nursery, gardening group or adult education centre might be a good starting point for practical advice on composting.

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Why do it?

  • Create a free source of garden fertiliser
  • Reuse waste instead of putting it in the bin
  • Reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by landfill

Did you know?

When food and garden wastes decompose in landfill without fresh air, methane is created. Methane is over twenty times more potent as a greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide.

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Page last modified: 20 Aug 2009