WHAT DO I DO IF... Answers to common compost questions

My compost smells bad!

My compost pile will not heat up!

My compost attracts animals / flies!

My compost attracts ants and is dry to touch!

My compost takes too long to break down!

Does your compost smell like:• Sulphur (rotten eggs) OR• Ammonia (acidic)

If your pile smells like sulphur, it is too wet.

If your pile smells like ammonia, it has too much nitrogen from green waste.

Your pile could be cold for several reasons:• It lacks moisture. • It lacks nitrogen. • It is too small.

If dogs or cats, or pests such as rodents and blowflies are attracted to your pile, it is usually because the wrong ingredients have been added. Most flies in your compost are harmless small vinegar flies that indicate your compost is working properly.

Your pile may be drying out. This is especially likely to happen in Australian summers!

Your compost could have any one of the following problems:• The pile may be too dry.• The balance of ‘browns’ and ‘greens’

may not be right.• The pile may not have enough air.

For sulphur smells:• Mix in dry ingredients, such as soil, dried leaves,

shredded newspaper or grass clippings.• Make sure it’s not too wet.For ammonia smells: • Add materials containing carbon, such as ash or

dolomite. If it still smells bad: • Turn the pile to push air through the heap and help

with the immediate odour problems.• Mix in materials that do not compact, such as green

twigs and plant stems, to help create more air spaces.

• Check the moisture level of the pile. It should be about as moist as a well-wrung sponge.

• Add high nitrogen materials (fresh grass or vegetable scraps, blood and bone).

• Your pile should be at least 1m3 in size. Smaller heaps will not heat up.

• Do not add meat, fish, bones, dairy products, bread or oily or greasy food.

• Cover each addition of food with a layer of soil. • Place the bin on a layer of wire mesh. • Set rodent traps around the bin.

• Gently moisten your pile, adding water until it is as wet as a wrung-out sponge.

• Add moisture-rich ingredients.

Water: Is it wet enough?Food: Have you added equal amounts of ‘browns’ and ‘greens’?Air: Is your pile getting enough air?

WHAT DO I DO IF...?

DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM

LET’S FIX IT!

To make sure that your pile has enough air:• Break up any clumps that might

exclude air. • Turn the pile to keep it loose and the

air circulating.• Punch holes in the container or insert

a slotted agricultural pipe into the heap. • Add some compost worms - you’ll need

about 2,000 to start.

Ideally, for fast compost your pile should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Any drier and the composting process will slow down. If your pile is too wet, the ingredients will be so heavy that they will exclude vital air from the pile slowing down the process and creating unpleasant smells.

Compost needs two types of food - ‘browns’ and ‘greens’.

‘Browns’ include dry materials such as straw, dry brown seedless weeds, autumn leaves, ash, dolomite, wood chips and sawdust.

‘Greens’ include fresh plant materials such as green weeds from the garden, fruit and vegetable scraps, green leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, blood and bone and fresh horse manure.

AIR

WATER

FOOD

Compost is made by billions of microbes (fungi, bacteria, etc.) that digest the food you provide for them. As compost is being created, compost piles become hot - the result of the collective body heat of billions of microbes that are busy dining out. They need air, water and food to thrive. Understanding this will help you produce good compost cleanly, efficiently and quickly.

How can I avoid problems and get great compost results every time? Home

How to

CompostHome

How to

Compost

Nature’s recipe for Recycling

Nature’s recipe for Recycling

Choose a shady spot in the garden for your compost bin, enclosure or heap. Too much sun will dry out your compost.

11Put your compost in layers of food scraps, garden clippings and paper. This helps build up the heat and speeds up the process.

Keep your compost slightly moist and mix it once a month or more.

After 4 months or so, when the compost is dark and crumbly, it will be ready to use. Dig it into your garden beds or spread it on top of an established garden as mulch.

33stepstep

YESYES

“We all know that recycling is good for the environment, and one of the most natural ways to recycle is Home Composting. It’s easy, give it a try! All you need is a little space and commitment, Nature will do the rest.”

vegetable and fruit peelings, vegetable oil, prunings, lawn clippings (layer), tea bags and coffee grounds, vacuum dust, leaves, shredded paper and cardboard, used potting mix, egg-shells, flowers and wood ash (layer).

meat and dairy products, bones, large branches, diseased plants, magazines, bleached paper, pet droppings and weeds. 44stepstepNONO

22stepstepstepstep

the good newsthe good news“Home composting is all about good news. Feed your compost with a healthy diet of kitchen and garden scraps and other goodies and, in no time, the stuff you once thought of as rubbish will be transformed into a magical mix that will do wonders for your garden.”

• Compost can improve soil structure and adds nutrients.• Compost and mulch help retain water in the soil.• Composting can reduce the greenhouse gas, methane,

which is produced by rotting rubbish in tips. • Composting saves landfill space.• Composting reduces the cost of rubbish

disposal to the community.• Composting is Nature’s

way of recycling.

“Your compost heap will become the home to a whole variety of garden bugs. Don’t worry about them, their arrival is a sure sign that you’re doing the right thing. They give nature a helping hand by breaking down the ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ into compost for the garden.”

• Set up a separate bin in the kitchen for food scraps and take it to the compost bin when full.

• Mix your ‘greens’ (vegetables scraps or lawn clippings) and ‘browns’ (fallen leaves) to help the process.

• The more you turn the compost the better the result.• Use soil or shredded newspaper to help layer

your compost.• Wear gloves when spreading compost on the

garden.• Add blood and bone or dolomite to further

improve your compost.

tipstips

FreeCall InfoLine: 1800 35 32 33(Victoria only)

www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au

Level 2, 478 Albert Street, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002

Telephone: 03 9639 3322 Facsimile: 03 9639 3077Email: mailbox@ecorecycle.vic.gov.au

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