Compost Awareness Week is nearly here.? This is a fun event which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of compost and composting and to encourage members of the public to produce or purchase their own compost.? The theme of this year?s event is 'Green Up your Environment'?with associated messages;

Green Up your Kitchen,?

Green Up your Garden, and

Green Up your Community

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 an important way to recycle your biowastes.? 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 high carbon to nitrogen ratio, using a mixture of 'browns' and 'greens'.? Dried flowers, woody stems and cardboard (browns) are high in carbon; fresh grass cuttings and kitchen fruit and vegetable biowastes (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 composting process. ?Try to ensure your composting materials are 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)?Add a good mixture of materials on a regular basis.

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.

?You can compost many organic items (biowaste types),?however some work better than others.?

Do compost

Uncooked vegetable peelings & fruit
Hedge trimmings
Grass clippings
Leaves
Scrunched up paper
Tea bags and coffee grounds

Do not compost (most of these will compost but can attract vermin, so they are not recommended)

Meat/bones
Fish
Dairy products
Cooked food
Coal ash
Cat/dog litter/poo

We wish you well with your home composting and greening up your kitchen, garden and community!