Composting: What and Why?

Why should you compost? 

It’s simple. Your food scraps are not rubbish or “waste”, they are a valuable resource that should never, ever be sent to a landfill. You wouldn’t put your money in the rubbish bin would you? We feel the same about food. Organic matter breaks down naturally in compost and becomes fuel for your soil so you can not only grow delicious food but also sequester carbon and help to reverse climate change.

What is composting? 

Composting is nature’s own recycling system, turning your food scraps into microbe-rich soil that will then help grow your (or your neighbour’s) veggies. With the massive amount of food scraps being sent to landfill, it’s a no brainer really, but there are a few key factors to get yours cooking just right.  There’s lots going on in a good pile of compost, but it doesn’t actually need to be complicated. 

Firstly, if you’re new to composting, decide what form yours is going to take.

Getting started - A compost bin vs a compost heap? To get started you need to create a dedicated composting space in your back yard, there are many ways to do this, so long as your compost has contact with the earth 

Bin

You can buy ready-to-go compost bins from Mitre 10 or Bunnings, but you can also make your own. If you’ve got any pallets or timber lying around they can be made into a basic box structure. If you’ve got a big bucket with a lid, cut the bottom off and drill or poke some holes into the sides and you’re good to go. Compost needs good airflow, and a connection with the earth beneath to attract soil life.

Heap
If you’ve got nothing to work with for a bin, or fancy the simplest approach, a heap will do fine! Just make sure you’ve got something to cover it with to lock the moisture in, like a hessian sack or a piece of cardboard, repurposed plastic or old carpet.