Composting and Green Waste

Some residents in certain areas are participating in the Garden and Kitchen Waste Collection Trial; please follow the Garden and Kitchen Waste Collection Trial link to find out more information or refer to your
refuse and recycling calendars for confirmation if you are partaking in this trial.

Home composting is cheap and easy to do. A third of what we bin could be turned into compost. Turning kitchen and garden waste into compost is the only method of recycling you can do completely at home. By making your own compost you are also helping to protect our peat bogs which are home to some of our rarest plants.

Compost bins
Compost bins We have some great offers on compost bins to help get you started. As part of the Recycle for Buckinghamshire partnership home compost bins are offered at a significantly reduced price starting from as little as £15.00.  Visit www.bucks.getcomposting.com (Opens new window to external site) or call 0844 571 4444 for more information

Composting at a Household Waste and Recycling Centre
You can also take your 'green waste' to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre. This is useful for bulky and woody plants that are too big to rot in your home compost bin. (Opens New Window to Bucks County Council)

Master Composter programme
Master Composters provide advice and assistance to people who want to start composting. You will receive training in techniques for successful home composting and related environmental issues. No previous experience of gardening or composting is required – just enthusiasm and an interest in the issue. The Buckinghamshire's Master Composter programme is an initiative run by Buckinghamshire Local Authorities and Garden Organic, the national charity for organic gardening. Contact us for more information.

For more information call 01296 387797 or email composting@buckscc.gov.uk

Composting - The Facts Up to 30% of an average household's waste is organic and can be turned into compost. Composting is the best way to treat organic waste as not only does it save valuable landfill space by reducing the amount we throw away, but it replaces commercially produced peat products which can damage important wildlife sites. Adding compost to your soil will nourish the soil by adding nutrients. It will also improve soil structure and attract earthworms which in turn improve the health of your soil further Whilst compost does not completely replace fertilisers; its use is the key to an organic garden. Compost can be placed on vegetable gardens and flower beds or around trees. It makes excellent 'mulch' to discourage weeds and keep moisture in the soil. Sieved compost is ideal for potting, window boxes and hanging baskets.

Getting Started

It is best to make your compost in an enclosure or container although a heap will work if kept covered. 
Ready made compost bins are available from South Bucks District Council at a reduced rate. See contact details at the top of this page. After sitting your composter you should fill it with alternate layers of wet (e.g. kitchen scraps) and dry (e.g. vacuum cleaner dust) waste.(See below) If available add some finished compost, garden soil or a compost starter (available from most garden centres) to the pile. This will help to speed up the start of the composting process. Adding a supply of brandling worms will also help. These are available from angling suppliers or can be collected from your garden.

Making good compost relies on a good balance of material being added to the compost bin. There are two main types of waste  which you need to add:

• 1. "Wet" waste (also known as "Greens") which is any compostable waste containing moisture (e.g. grass clippings, bedding plants, vegetable and fruit peels, etc). This type of waste is high in nitrogen but low in carbon.
• 2. "Dry" waste (also known as "Browns") which is any compostable waste lacking moisture (e.g. scrunched up cardboard, shredded paper leaves, chopped up twiggy material, etc.). This type of waste is high in carbon but low in nitrogen.

One type of waste without the other may not work as well as it could. Remember to add one layer of "wet" waste to prevent it from getting compacted, and potentially too soggy. The "wet" waste will in turn soften the "dry" waste which would otherwise take a long time to decompose on its own.  Each type of compostable waste compliments the other, and leads to much better results. Giving the mixture a stir every 2 weeks or so (if you can manage this) will also help loosen any material which might need more air. You could also create a few aeration holes by pushing a broom handle through to the bottom of the material.

For further information or for a leaflet or accessories for your compost bin, Please call: 01895 837362 or Email: refuseandrecycling@southbucks.gov.uk