A Beginner’s Guide to Composting

I was equal parts excited and nervous when I first decided I was going to start composting. Moving from a house-share with 4 other women to having my own home and the freedom that came with it seemed like the perfect time to start, but it is safe to say I knew very little about composting and it seemed like quite a big challenge!

Composting is amazing for a variety of reasons; it’s environmentally friendly, reducing the amount of waste you are sending to landfill and it also decreases your direct impact on fuel emissions due to less transportation being required for the disposal of your food, it encourages insects into your garden and gives back to nature, it provides you with a nutrient-dense fertiliser and it also takes us back to a more natural way of living, to name but a few of its benefits.

I can honestly say that there’s actually not really that much to know about composting (at least not to get you started, I’m sure there’s plenty more to learn should you wish to become a composting expert) and it has quickly become second nature to me – now I find it weird when I’m somewhere where they don’t compost.

The first step is to get your hands on some compost bins; a small one for your kitchen where you’ll collect your food over the course of the day, and a big one for your outside space where you accumulate your compost. You may need to assemble the outside bin when it arrives and find a good spot for it in your garden, somewhere tucked away but accessible is ideal, and you want it to be on soil if possible so that it is accessible to worms, soil-dwelling microbes and insects.

Essentially you fill your compost bin with food scraps and other such waste instead of popping it into your usual bin. If you are plant-based like me then this is super easy as basically everything you eat can be composted, however, should you be a carnivore then you will need to separate your leftovers and food scraps as some of the things you consume cannot be composted.

It’s worth noting that the below lists are for home composting. If you are using the Kent County Council recycling system every week then you can put meat and dairy products in their compost. Their compost is much bigger and thus gets much hotter, meaning it breaks down matter without any issues. If you were to do this in your home compost you will most likely get rats and other pests, not to mention the smell would be pretty unpleasant.

Things you can compost:

• Any and all plant-based food scraps
• Coffee grounds
• Biodegradable teabags
• Eggshells
• Grass cuttings
• Tree leaves
• Weeds and such from your garden
• Ashes
• Printer paper
• Cardboard
• Animal hair

Things not to compost:

• Meat
• Dairy
• Animals bones
• Animal fat (oils, grease etc)
• Disposable nappies
• Shiny or film-covered card

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Whilst there are a few things that you might choose not to compost, these lists cover the basics. When I say about choosing not to compost something, I’m referring to things like avocado stones which require very high heat in order to break down; dependent on when you want your fertiliser to be usable, how many people in your household are contributing to the compost, and how frequently you wish to turn your compost, you might decide against adding these in – or you might be one of those weirdos who doesn’t like avocado, in which case you won’t even need to make the decision.

I also opt for cutting up my banana skins to help them breakdown quicker; Livvy doesn’t do this as their house of four contribute far more to their compost than my house of one and so it isn’t necessary for them, so just a head’s up if you’re doing this solo, you might choose to cut up larger bits of waste to help encourage and speed up the process.

In terms of looking after your compost, you can largely leave it alone to just do its thing. Be aware of flies as the weather turns warmer – they are grim and will make you want to give up entirely, but please don’t! You can combat their presence by adding lots of paper and cardboard to the top of your compost bin, which makes it harder for them to access the food underneath, and turning the compost regularly will make it hotter, which kills them. Livvy and Paul had a bad fly issue this spring but by turning the compost every day for a week the issue was completely solved. Turning your compost regularly allows more air in and helps it break down quicker, you simply need to use a garden fork and a bit of elbow grease.

And that is honestly it; far more straight-forward than I ever thought it was. I really hope this post has helped anyone unsure about starting see just how easy and beneficial composting is! If you give it a try please do let us know, or if you’re already a seasoned pro and have any tips for us newbies then drop a comment below so we can all learn something new.

Happy composting!

Summer and Livvy