Learn How to Compost - Start Recycling and Reduce Waste

Learning how to make compost is a very rewarding process that is simple and easy to learn and very forgiving. Any recycling that we undertake through a composting process even if it is a small operation or up to commercial quantities, helps to reduce waste and improve our water quality, for there is less waste water treatment required of the precious resource that carries our wastes to the treatment plant. Let's help ourselves and each other by learning some basics.

We all find there are many unwanted items that we have to dispose of at the end of the day and we routinely throw them out in the trash or feed them into the eagerly awaiting garbage gobbler that is such a convenient way to clean up the mess.

It's a great way to do things but is it creating another mess?

Unfortunately it contributes to the pollution of this wonderful planet that we live in. This can so easily be changed if we all learned how to make compost even on a small scale. It is actually really easy and yes it can even be FUN!

What do we need? For a start any organic product, that is, anything that was once growing can be added to a composting process for recycling into the process that Mother Nature has provided us for millions of years. So we have to agree that the process works and concede that it actually works very well indeed. So let us look at all that we throw away and see what we can turn into compost. There will be some things that should be avoided for a start until a little knowledge and confidence is gained but it really is a simple process. So we need the raw materials and a container or site to start the process.

How much material we want to compost is the next consideration. Let's start with what comes out of the kitchen as there is always an unwanted amount of food scraps that arise. If this is all that is envisaged to begin with then the best way to have fun with kitchen compost is to start a worm farm! Kids just love them, especially boys of course and just watch they don't eat them. This is a great way to get the whole family involved as it is a great talking point and it is interesting to watch as things disappear. A well managed worm farm will not emit odors and can be managed in a cool place indoors.

For larger amounts we need to look at recycling outdoors where we can build a compost pile or use compost bins to break down the leaves and branches into a great mulch and soil conditioner. Understanding something about carbon to nitrogen ratios of plants really helps but the basis is that the micro-organisms in the pile need some nitrogen to break down the woody parts which are high in carbon. It is ratio range that is very forgiving but getting it in the desired range results in better quality compost in a much quicker time frame.

There are four main criteria to be considered when making compost:
The carbon to nitrogen ratio
The size of the pile or container
The amount of water included
The amount of air available

The size of the pile will determine whether the composting process is hot or cold. A cubic yard will often allow the pile to build up heat producing better quality compost and this should be the minimum size ideally for a hot composting method. Materials will break down quicker and diseases and weed seeds will not survive if the desired temperatures are reached. Water is needed to keep the pile damp but not soggy.

Air is not something we usually think about in a compost pile but the organisms that are doing all the work are alive and need OXYGEN just like us or the bad critters take over and this is where the bad smells usually come from.

An enclosed container helps hold in heat and keep the pile tidy and animals away. A good compost tumbler will help with turning and allowing more air in as needed.

Cold composting is a longer process but is a great way to recycle if we choose. Building a larger scale worm farm is a way of speeding up the process and getting a wonderful worm compost tea that is a great tonic for plants.

It is possible to make bad, smelly compost but gaining a little knowledge on how to make compost and planning the process will ensure a great start to recycling and to reducing waste.article source compostteam.com