Home composting

Organic household waste can be disposed of in your brown bin, or by using a home composter.

We encourage those who produce lots of compostable garden waste to recycle through home composting. This gives the benefit of producing compost for the garden. Zero Waste Scotland offers an easy guide to composting.

Surplus garden type waste may be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Home composting reduces the amount of biodegradable waste going for final disposal. While creating a useful product to benefit your garden, it also encourages insects and wildlife into your garden.

Sit your compost bin (on bare soil or grass) in a spot that is:

• reasonably sunny
• sheltered from the wind
• easily accessible all year

Making your own compost bin can be environmentally friendly. Often done using pallets, or leftover wood, you can find 'how to' videos and tips online:

• Gardener’s World – How to build a compost bin
• BBC Gardening – making compost
• Centre for Alternative Technology Cool Composting

It usually takes between six and 18 months dependent on:

• the materials used
• the time of year
• how much air you get into it

Adding air speeds up the composting process, but if you have the correct mix of brown and green materials, it is not necessary. Add air by:

• turning the compost with a garden fork
• using an aerator stick
• creating pockets by adding scrunched up paper and cardboard

Add more green materials if it is too dry. Add brown materials if it feels slimy or soggy.

Compost is ready when it is dark brown and crumbly with an 'earthy' smell.

Almost 12,500 tonnes of food and garden waste is collected from North Ayrshire each year. This is recycled into compost for use by the council. From time to time, we offer residents the chance to give their plants a boost with our free compost giveaways. The compost will be loose, so you will need a shovel and bags. Look out for updates on our social media channels.

For information on home composting, contact the Waste Awareness team.