Food Recycling and Home Composting Tips

Recycling leftover food through adopting a good home composting routine is one easy way in which you and your family can help the environment. Food waste impacts the environment in a variety of ways; for example, putting your leftovers from a meal into the bin directly affects climate change by creating a larger amount of waste that needs to be taken to landfill. For this reason, it is important to consider the practice of home composting and the various benefits it can bring to the environment.

Benefits of composting

By reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill from your household, you are positively impacting the environment. When waste goes to landfill, air is unable to reach the organic waste and, as a consequence, the waste cannot break down, thus building the piles of rubbish at these sites higher and higher; an unsustainable process. As well as this, the amount of fuel used in the transportation process is reduced when homeowners carry out home composting themselves.

How to compost

Many homeowners may be deterred by the idea of home composting as, with an already-busy lifestyle, it may seem like yet another chore on your list of things to do. In fact, home composting really couldn’t be easier! Simply allocate a separate bin in which you place the relevant food waste. Set the bin up either on wire mesh, paving, gravel or decking, placing a little soil at the bottom of the bin in order to start the composting process off and attract organisms to the bin.  Setting up your bin on wire mesh is best for homeowners worried about vermin problems, as this will eradicate this problem.

  –  Paving is a successful surface on which to place your bin, though there is the possibility of liquid seeping out of the bin, so it is advisable to place it in a raised bed filled with soil.

  –  For those positioning their bin on an area of decking, do not place the bin directly on the decking, as this could lead to staining. Instead, build a raised bed on top of the deck, and fill it with soil before placing the bin inside.

  –  For bins being placed on gravel, it is advisable to put down a membrane but remember to cut slits or a hole in the membrane to ensure the soil-dwelling organisms have a way of getting through to the bin and its waste.

What can be put in compost?

When it comes to deciphering what can and can’t be placed into compost, there are some simple rules to follow. As a general rule, if the food can be categorised into ‘greens’ – vegetables or plants which rot quickly, producing nitrogen and moisture – or ‘browns’, which are slower to rot and provide carbon and fibre, allowing air pockets to form, then go ahead and place the compost in the waste. For a fully comprehensive list of what can and can’t be placed into compost, visit the following link and find out more.

What to use the compost for?

Fresh compost from your home composting system is a brilliant source of nutrient-rich food for your garden, so put it to good use and save yourself money in the process! Ensure your compost is a dark brown colour, and has a nice earthy smell before getting to work placing it around your garden.
–  Compost works well in flowerbeds and new borders, enriching the existing soil and helping your plants grow.

–  For use as mulch to help prevent soil erosion and replenish nutrients in the soil, compost provides a simple, successful solution.

–  Your compost can even be used to feed your lawn, both to help kick-start the growth of new seedlings or to replenish dried-out lawns, as well as helping the healthy growth of any herbs or vegetables you are cultivating on your plot.

Here at Woodford Recycling, we are a leading provider of a range of waste management services to customers throughout Cambridgeshire, extending our work to cover the rest of the UK with our network of approved partners. To find out more, get in touch with our friendly and reliable team of experts today, and let us help with your enquiry.