How to compost

Composting is a rewarding planet-friendly activity that creates a closed loop in your own home by turning food scraps into rich nutrients for your garden. Reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions by learning to compost your household food scraps using composting, Bokashi or a worm farm.

Garden Composting

You can set up an outdoor garden compost heap without any special equipment by creating a designated heap in your backyard; though if you want something a bit more contained, you can purchase a compost bin.

Balance your carbon and nitrogen (which makes a successful compost) by including a mixture of high nitrogen “green” matter (fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and grass clippings) and high carbon “brown” matter (leaves, straw and shredded paper). If you have excess carbon, decomposition slows down. If you have excess nitrogen, you will end up with a stinky pile. A recommended ratio of carbon to nitrogen for an outside compost pile is 25:1, so 25 brown parts to every 1 green part.

Good For: Those who have a medium or large backyard and create lots of food scraps or organic garden matter.

Build a compost heap > add scraps + brown matter > water > mix > wait > add to garden

Bokashi

A Bokashi is a compact 1.5 litre bucket that uses microbes to ferment and decompose waste. The fermentation process does not produce smells and can be used on almost all foods including dairy, meat and fish. The Bokashi bucket tap allows you to drain the excess liquid as you fill it up which you can use to fertilise your garden, clean drains and break down waste in septic tank systems.

Good For: Those who have limited or no outdoor space but still want to quickly decompose food waste.

Bokashi bin > add scraps + Bokashi powder > drain liquid > fill bin > bury contents in garden

Worm farm

Worm farms are a low maintenance and fun way to dispose of your organic waste. You can set up a worm farm in a wheelie bin, or there are kits and DIY options available. All you need to grow your worm farm is food waste and a weekly watering, the worms will take care of the rest. The worms used in worm farms aren’t common earthworms – they are compost worms, usually either red, blue or tiger worms. The castings and diluted worm juice can be used for garden fertiliser.

Good For: Those who have a balcony, or shady outdoor area and want a low maintenance option. Worm farms flourish both inside and out and don’t take up too much space.

Worm farm bin > add scraps > water weekly > drain liquid > bury castings in garden

Check out a Beginners Guide to Composting here