Home Composting

25% of waste produced in Maidstone is made up of material that can be composted.

Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Not only does it reduce the amount of rubbish in your bin, it also benefits you by providing a rich compost to help improve soil condition and reduce the need for peat based products.

Getting the best compost is all about the mix: a roughly even mixture of greens and browns is best. Green material will help provide nutrients to your plants and the brown material will help the structure of the soil.

Wet Green Materials

Raw fruit and vegetable peelings
Old flowers/plants
Tea bags
Coffee grounds and filter paper
Grass cuttings
Rabbit/guinea pig/gerbil/hamster bedding
Weeds

Dry Brown Materials

Dead leaves
Twigs
Sawdust
Torn up cardboard
Scrunched up paper
Shredded paper
Egg shells

How does composting work

Organic waste is rotted down through the activity of microbes and bacteria. They need the right levels of moisture and air to make good compost.

Air – Ensure that air can reach the entire content of the bin. You may have to turn it or stick a garden fork in it to push it back and forth to clear a central vent every couple of weeks.

Moisture – The contents of the bin should be moist at all times so you may have to add water from time to time. Keep the lid on as you don’t want it to be too wet!

Heat – The compost should get quite hot, which simply means that the bacteria is doing its job!

You should place your compost bin somewhere in easy reach and preferably on soil which allows earthworms in to help ventilate the compost.

Compost Bin Offer

Maidstone Borough council, in partnership with Straights and the Waste Improvement Network, is pleased to offer compost bins from £14 per bin (plus delivery) and also a special offer of buy two and get the second half price.

For more details please see www.maidstone.getcomposting.com or telephone 0844 571 4444 quoting reference MDS01L