Getting the Balance Right

For successful composting, the composting environment should be:

• Warm (heat to kill weed seeds)
• Wet (but not soggy!)
• Well-balanced (good mix of ingredients)

 

The organisms that break down the contents of your composter need the right balance of:

• Carbon
  (usually the drier materials such as twigs and dry leaves)
• Nitrogen
  (from ingredients like fruit and vegetable peelings)
• Oxygen
  (adding twigs to the mix can help air circulate)
• Water
  (from some of the wetter ingredients i.e grass cuttings)
  

Usually a 50:50 mix (by volume) achieves this balance.

Your compost bins should not smell if the balance is right. This usually indicates too many wet ingredients (fruit peelings, grass cuttings..) This can be rebalanced by adding some dry ingredients such as twigs or (dry) leaves. For other composting questions and queries help and advice is available.

The following organisations may be able to help you solve your composting problems.

• View Surrey Waste Partnership Composting FAQs Opens in a new window
• View Recycle Now Composting FAQs Opens in a new window
• View Royal Horticultural Society Composting Advice Opens in a new window