Talking About Green

The thought of setting up a compost bin in your backyard may sound a bit intimidating at first, but it’s actually a relatively easy process if you know what you’re doing. However, how you set up your compost bin and what you add to it during the first initial stages will ultimately determine how effectively it will decompose certain materials. Because of this, it’s extremely important to take necessary steps in order to prevent your compost from not working properly.

Whether you are new to the composting world, or if you’ve had a compost bin for a few years but you’re struggling to maintain it, here are six tips that could help make the composting process easier and more effective:

1. Put your bin in a smart place
   Because your compost bin needs a great deal of air and heat in order for it to work effectively, you should put in an area that gets a relative amount of sunlight. It’s also extremely important to make sure that you put your compost on a flat part of land rather than on a hill, and if you can, try to put it where animals won’t be able to reach it as well.
2. Make sure your compost has enough oxygen
   You should loosen up the soil in your compost container with a shovel or pitchfork once every two to three weeks in order for it to break down materials effectively. You should also drill some holes in the bottom of your container before placing it in your yard in order for it to drain properly too.
   Try adding a variety of different textures like soft waste material and coarser rough material to help aerate the compost as well.
   If your container smells like rotten eggs, then try loosening the dirt in your pile on a daily basis for a week until the odour is gone, and then top off your container with a thick layer of soil.
3. Think green and brown
   The general rule of thumb when it comes to composting is to add an equal amount of greens (AKA materials that are high in nitrogen) with an equal amount of browns (AKA materials that are high in carbon).
   If you’re new to composting, it may be a good idea to add a layer of brown material first, and then add a layer of green on top with approximately one inch of soil.
4. Make sure your compost is wet/moist at all times
   If the soil and material in your compost is dry it will be extremely difficult to break down any time of material. Because of this, it may be a good idea to moisten down your compost with water or even leftover fruit juice if you have any.
   Also, if you’re noticing that a large number of ants in your compost bin it usually means your compost is too dry.
5. Add food scraps to the center of your compost pile
   If you’re going to put food scraps into your compost make sure you put them in the center of the pile rather than around the sides to help increase the composting process and prevent animals from eating the scraps as well.
   If you continue to have a problem with flies or animals rummaging around in your compost container, then either add a thin layer of brown material (like leaves) to the pile, and bury all the added food scraps with a layer of soil.
6. Be careful with paper products
   If you’re going to add paper products to your compost, (such as newspapers, cardboard, paper towels, etc.) be sure that they are ripped up into very small pieces so they can be broken down more easily. Also, keep in mind that glossy paper, sawdust and wood shavings take a long time to compost as well, so be sure to only add small quantities at a time

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and researcher for College Scholarships, where recently she’s been researching lacrosse scholarships as well as law enforcement scholarship programs. Whenever she gets some free time, she enjoys watching a funny movie or curling up with a good book.

Photo source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CompostBinStack_wb.jpg