Powys Zero Waste

Recycling Compost Waste

Worm compost

It all begins at home! If you have a small garden or access to some ground, why not compost your vegetable based kitchen waste or garden waste. It’s easy!

Compost bins are available from Powys County Council (Call the Helpdesk 0845 6076060). The results can be stunning.

You get a free nutritious meal for your plants and vegetables, as well as providing the soil with useful, organic matter and you stop taking up room in landfill.

So just how easy is it to compost at home?

A brief guide to home composting:

  1. Put your compost bin in the garden on bare soil.
  2. Good compost needs the right mix of ingredients. Create a good carbon to nitrogen ratio, browns to greens. Dried flowers, woody stems and cardboard (browns) are high in carbon; fresh grass cuttings and kitchen waste (greens) are high in nitrogen.
  3. Composting works best of you add a lot of materials at once. Chop large items into small pieces to help speed up the process. Try to ensure your compost is moist but not wet. Add water if it is too dry, cover and add dry material if it is too wet.
  4. Every now and then introduce air into your bin, either by using a garden fork to mix the material or add more scrunched up paper and card.
  5. To help speed up the composting process add a handful of soil, finished compost or a compost accelerator (young nettles are an excellent natural accelerator).
  6. Keep adding a good mixture of materials.
  7. Your compost will be ready to use when it resembles dark soil and has a sweet, earthy smell. This can take anywhere between 6 – 24 months.

You can compost many organic items. However some work better than others

The DO’S & DONTS of HOME COMPOSTING

    Do compost

    Do compost

  • Uncooked vegetable peelings & fruit
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Grass clippings
  • Leaves
  • Scrunched up paper
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
    Do not compost

    Do not compost

  • Meat/bones
  • Fish
  • Dairy products
  • Cooked food
  • Coal ash
  • Cat/dog litter/poo

Household kitchen waste which includes meat will be collected from early next year in an innovative pilot scheme in Newtown using a range of products to make it easy on everyone. This kitchen waste will be mixed with green waste to produce useable compost (see our news section and links).

If you require more information or need advice please contact the Powys County Council Helpdesk on 0845 6076060 or simply fill in our enquiry form – we’re happy to help!

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