Residents can take an unlimited amount of their own domestic household garden waste to Caister Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) at Pump Lane, Caister.

Home Composting

Home composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable food for your garden. Finished compost is great for using on flowerbeds, vegetable plots, and for mixing into planters, and can really make your garden bloom. By composting at home, you can reduce the amount of rubbish you put out for collection, and you return important nutrients and minerals to your soil. Composting is cheap and easy to make, and it’s even easier to use. Get composting today!

The Council has been working with Recyclenow for over 3 years promoting home composting. To find out more about purchasing one of this year's compost bins, please click on the link.  17252-01_adletter_norfolk.pdf (251kb) (offer ends 31/03/2009) Alternatively you can now order your compost bins here www.recyclenow.com/home_composting.

To get the most out of your compost bin follow these 5 easy steps!

• Placing your bin - It’s best to site your bin on a level, well-drained spot. This allows excess water to drain out and makes it easier for helpful creatures such as worms to get in and get working on breaking down the contents. Placing your bin in a partially sunny spot can help speed up the composting process.

• Put these in - Like any recipe, your compost relies on the right ingredients to make it work. Good things you can compost include vegetable peelings, fruit waste, teabags, plant prunings and grass cuttings. These are considered “Greens.” Greens are quick to rot and they provide important nitrogen and moisture. Other things you can compost include cardboard egg boxes, scrunched up paper and fallen leaves. These are considered “Browns” and are slower to rot. They provide fibre and carbon and also allow important air pockets to form in the mixture. Crushed eggshells can be included to add useful minerals.

• Keep these out - Certain things should never be placed in your compost bin. No cooked vegetables, no meat, no dairy products, no diseased plants, and definitely no dog poo or cat litter, or baby’s nappies. Putting these in your bin can encourage unwanted pests and can also create odour. Also avoid composting perennial weeds (such as dandelions and thistle) or weeds with seed heads. Remember plastics, glass and metals are not suitable for composting and should be recycled separately.

• Making good compost - The key to good compost lies in getting the mix right. You need to keep your Greens and Browns properly balanced. If your compost is too wet, add more Browns. If it’s too dry, add some Greens. Making sure there is enough air in the mixture is also important. Adding scrunched up bits of cardboard is a simple way to create air pockets that will help keep your compost healthy. Air can also be added by mixing the contents. After approximately 6-9 months your compost will be ready.

• Using your compost - Finished compost is a dark brown, almost black soil like layer that you’ll find at the bottom of your bin. It has a spongy texture and is rich in nutrients. Some bins have a small hatch at the bottom that you can remove to get at the finished product, but sometimes it’s even easier to lift the bin or to tip it over to get at your compost. Spreading the finished compost into your flowerbeds greatly improves soil quality by helping it retain moisture and suppressing weeds. Composting is the easiest way to make your garden grow more beautiful.