Sustainable Seas Trust celebrated International Composting Awareness Week held on 3-9 May 2020. Compost is nutrient-rich material that can transform your soil and give plants a dramatic boost. It is created from decomposed organic matter, with the help from bacteria, fungus, insects and other organisms.
Composting increases soil health, reduces pesticide and chemical use and it’s one of the most effective ways to minimize the amount of garbage you or your family sends to the landfill. This reduces methane emissions from landfills, which is a major factor in global warming.
Composting requires three basic ingredients:
- Greens- This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
- Browns- This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, twigs and paper.
- Water
Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens to keep your compost healthy. Maintaining a balance is important because brown materials are rich in carbon, feeding the organisms that break down the scraps and green materials supply nitrogen, which is key for building the cell structure of your new soil.
How to compost at home:
Watch our DIY home composting how-to video below, by Melanie Ludwig. Learn what is compostable, how to compost at home, how to layer your waste and more.
