Home composting made easier

These days, we are all concerned about the garbage problem; whether it is related to getting rid of the garbage from our houses or those huge mountains of garbage we see outside.

Of course, you may not be able to do much about the piles of garbage dotting the country, but you sure can do something about the garbage emanating(originating) from your own house.

Did you know that you could actually make use of some of your garbage such as kitchen waste? This could be done by turning the waste from your kitchen including leftover food and vegetable peelings into compost. This may sound complicated, but children like you could definitely do this with a little help from the grown-ups.

* First of all, you would need a compost bin. The local authority could be contacted about this as there are certain areas where the local authorities provide special compost bins to the residents at special rates, as part of an organised garbage disposal service. If not, compost bins are avaiable at supermarkets and garden centres too.

* Start off your compost heap with a thick layer of coarse woody twigs and prunings mixed with weeds and plant trimmings.

* To get the best compost, you should ensure that you put the right material into the bin. It will work better if it is a mixture of things such as garden waste including old plants, flowers and grass cuttings; old leaves, twigs and soft tree branches; kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, tea bags and leaves; and eggshells. A little bit of shredded paper and straw too could be added to this mixture.

* Add the odd bit of well-rotted cow dung also to the bin.

* Add compostable/biodegradable packaging from fruits and vegetables bought from the supermarkets as well.

* Do not put pet waste, coal or ash, meat or fish, cooked food, the roots of weeds, metal, glass or plastc in the bin.

* Keeping the heap slightly wet without allowing it to dry out will aid the composting process. Sprinkle it with a little water every now and then.

* The bin should be kept slightly warm too without letting it go cold, as this will quicken the rotting process. Although the right climatic conditions for this process exist in most parts of Sri Lanka, in cold areas, this process could be aided by keeping the bin covered in old blankets or sacks.

* Turn the heap around with a shovel or fork once every couple of weeks so that it is well oxygenated.

* After some months, you would find dark brown, crumbly, soil-like manure in the bin. This could be used as fertiliser in your garden, which will lead to a rich cultivation.

This is also the most environmental-friendly way to dispose of kitchen waste as it reduces the amount of garbage that would otherwise have been dumped on roadsides or landfills.