Composting is a fun and environmentally-friendly activity.  It's something anyone can to make a positive contribution to helping the environment. 

In order to give new composters a helping hand, Jane Gilbert, Chief Executive of the Composting Association gives her tips for making your own compost. 

“Making compost is fun and an important way to recycle.  If you follow these tips you will have your own supply of top quality compost in no time at all: 

1. Put your compost bin in the garden on bare soil.
2. Good compost needs the right mix of ingredients.  Create a good carbon to nitrogen ratio, browns to greens.  Dried flowers, woody stems and cardboard (browns) are high in carbon; fresh grass cuttings and kitchen waste (greens) are high in nitrogen.
3. Composting works best of you add a lot of materials at once.  Chop large items into small pieces to help speed up the process.  Try to ensure your compost is moist but not wet.  Add water if it is too dry, cover and add dry material if it is too wet.
4. Every now and then introduce air into your bin either by using a garden fork to mix the material or add more scrunched up paper and card.
5. To help speed up the composting process add a handful of soil, finished compost or a compost accelerator (young nettles are an excellent natural accelerator).
6. Keep adding a good mixture of materials.
7. Your compost will be ready to use when it resembles dark soil and has a sweet, earthy smell.  This can take anywhere between 6 – 24 months.

The Composting Association has produced a fact sheet which will help newcomers learn more about composting, it can be downloaded here.

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