Composting

Wed 8th Jul 09 — admin

Three compost bins

Compost bins at Centre for Alternative Technology
Photo: Lyndsay Maiden, Cardiff Friends of the Earth

Making your own compost is satisfying and good for the garden as well as the environment. Best of all, compost is free. You can make it without spending a penny.

Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration. It also increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils to retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants.

Composting reduces the waste going to land fill or incineration.

When vegetables and fruit are put into a black bin liner they rot and produce mathane gas that adds to climate change. By composting you help reduce this. If you are unable to compost yourself, use the council's white bag scheme.

Cardiff City Council offers home composting bins at a subsidised price. For more information call 02920 775322.

For more information visit the Recycling Now website for compost information sheets.

What you can compost:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Tea bags and Coffee grounds
  • Cardboard
  • Paper towels
  • Garden Waste
  • Egg boxes
  • Coal and coke ash
  • Cat litter
  • Dog and cat faeces
  • Disposable nappies

What you can’t compost:

  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Cooked food
  • Glossy magazines