Once in landfill, organic matter releases harmful methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. These emissions from landfill make up about 3% of Australia’s total greenhouse gases, as much as the entire airline industry!

In addition, this organic matter mixes with heavy metals in landfill, becoming a toxic sludge which contributes to pollution of our groundwater. 

In honour of National Compost Week (5th-11th May), the Leschenault Catchment Council have put together some tips for our community to better understand composting and worm farming and encourage everyone to continue or begin these simple practices in their homes. Turning food scraps into garden gold at home is easy peesey and darn effective in renewing soil health; preventing production of methane; and has the added benefit of allowing you to feel the immense satisfaction of participating in this fascinating process and connecting better with your food and the natural world.

You won’t be sorry!

COMPOSTING

Composting is a natural process which breaks down organic materials to form nutrient-rich humus (or garden gold!). Compost requires four key ingredients; carbon materials, nitrogen materials, water and air. There are many different types of composting systems out there and your choice will depend on your space, budget and how much material you are producing. 

Whichever system you choose these points are key;

-       Layers! Think of your pile like a lasagne. Alternate high nitrogen products (food scraps/grass clippings) with high carbon products (dry leaves/paper/straw/twigs/other fibrous material). The bulkiness of the carbon material allows oxygen to get into your pile and to the important organisms that are residing in there. Too much nitrogen material will cause a dense, smelly, slowly decomposing anaerobic (without oxygen) mass. If in doubt, add more carbon material! And remember to add water between each layer.

-       Aeration! This is key to preventing the production of methane and creating good compost. To avoid laborious turning of your compost pile weekly, include vertical aerating tubes. This can be made from tightly rolled chicken wire or PVC pipe with lots of holes drilled into it and then inserted down the centre of your pile. It also has the added advantage of making it easy to get water into the centre if your heap is drying out. 

TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

-       My compost is smelly? This is a result of your pile being too wet, not getting enough air and becoming too acidic. To resolve add more carbon material, turn your heap to aerate and add a bit of garden lime. Alternatively, you may have added too much food waste. Remove some and start a second compost system to absorb the amount of food you are producing.

-       Taking ages to turn into nutrient-dense compost? This is a result of your pile not getting enough air, and perhaps not having enough active ingredients. Try turning your heap and adding some water, manure, food scraps and green lawn clippings. You may need to pull apart your pile and rebuild to get a better balance of carbon and nitrogen.

-       There are maggots in my compost heap?! This is generally a result of rotting food, often meat/seafood/fats but can also be from faeces. Avoid adding these products to your pile, sprinkle some lime and cover with a layer of carbon.

-       Vermin? Are often attracted to breads and grains, try reducing the amount of food you’re putting in (particularly grains and meat). It could also be a result of your pile being too dry. Remove the vermin, cover the entry with wire, turn your heap and moisten.

-       My compost tumbler is gross and stinky? This is likely to be because of their limited air and drainage holes. With a power drill, drill hundreds of holes around its full circumference. This will drastically increase the air flow through the system and allow excess moisture to drain freely. Remember to only fill these tumblers ½ to ¾ of their capacity so you can still turn them easily.

WORM FARMING

Compost worms eat food scraps, turning them into worm castings and liquid fertiliser. The two most common compost worms are the red wriggler and the tiger worm. You can find these at your local nursery or hardware stores. They differ from the common earthworm in that they love a nitrogen rich environment, so you don’t need to add regular carbon to this farm. We’ve outlined some easy instructions on how to construct your own worm farm below.

You will need;

2 polystyrene boxes with lids, piece of mesh to fit the base of one polystyrene box, small piece of hose or a tap, newspaper, aged compost or manure.

METHOD

1.     Grab a couple of polystyrene fruit boxes with lids.

2.     Punch holes in the bottom of one of the boxes with a screw driver. This will be the ‘top box’ of your worm farm. Line the inside base of this box with mesh to prevent worms from fitting through the holes.

3.     In the bottom box (without holes), punch a hole and put a small length of hose or a tap as close to the base as possible, to collect the precious worm wee. Place the top box onto the bottom box.

4.     Now add the bedding material (shredded newspaper and aged compost or manure) into the top box and lightly dampen with water. The box should be about ¼ full.

5.     Head off and buy some worms! 1000 is a good amount to get your farm going. Remember, the ones living in your backyard won’t work! Pop the worms into the top box and they will snuggle down into their bedding.

6.     Cover the worm bed with newspaper or a piece of hessian to maintain a nice constant temperature. Place the lid on the box.

7.     Let the worms settle into their new home for at least a couple of days, then you can start adding food waste on top, under the hessian. It’s a good idea to chop up your scraps, tear and soak paper products and crush egg shells as it makes it much easier for your worms to get through it.

TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

-       Infested with ants? Don’t allow bedding material to dry out; the presence of ants is a sign that the moisture level is too low – add some veggies and a bit of water.

-       My worm farm stinks?! This can happen if there is decomposing food and a build-up of waste in your farm. Stop feeding the worms for a while, you can add a handful of garden lime to the top bed and lightly aerate the bedding with a stick or a fork. Start feeding again when the farm is free from smells. Overfeeding is a common issue, small amounts of food regularly and in different spots is key. Consider an additional worm farm if the worms can’t keep up with the amount of scraps you are producing.

-       There are flies/maggots in my worm farm? Little vinegar flies are occasionally present and nothing to worry about. Leave a small amount of vinegar in a jar next to your worm farm if you are concerned by them. If larger flies and maggots are around it generally means that food (especially meat) is rotting. Ensure you are not overfeeding your worms. If there are maggots, place a piece of bread soaked in milk on the surface of the farm and remove after a couple of days.

-       Why did all the worms die last Summer? Worms can tolerate a temperature range from about 10-30 degrees. If it gets hotter than this, consider moving the system into a shady, cool position. Take the lid off and hose down (making sure the tap is open to allow the liquid to drain).

-       Why are the worms all in the lid? Too much water! The worms are trying to move to higher ground, so they don’t drown. Your farm may be collecting rain if it’s out in the weather, or you are adding too much water.

-       When should I water and how much? Sprinkle a bit of water into the farm every couple of weeks, this will speed up the worm wee production and keep the bedding moist. 

-       I think my farm has too many worms? Worm farms self-regulate their numbers based on supply and space, so your farm will never be over-populated.

-       The worms are trying to escape! Your worm farm has probably become too acidic. Add a small handful of dolomite lime every two months to prevent this from happening and maintain the ph level between 6-7.

What can you put in your compost and worm farm?

Once your compost and worm farms are established you can put all food scraps in there – fruit, vegetables, crushed egg shells, dairy, bread, small amounts of meat (without big bones), cooked leftovers, coffee, tea, and small amounts of cooking oils. Make sure you chop up food waste so it’s the size of a 20cent coin to accelerate the process. In your worm farm keep the level of citrus and onion/garlic skin low – add in moderation and ensure you’re mixing it with other food scraps. Never put plastics, weedy plants (runner grasses, ivy, thistle - for example, these plants need a large hot compost pile to kill them so chuck in your Food Organics Garden Organics ‘FOGO’ bin for council collection which can be processed at their large-scale composting facility), or diseased plants in either your compost bin or your worm farm.

We are fortunate to have a great system in most of the Leschenault Catchment with the ‘FOGO’ bin being an excellent element to the three-bin system for reducing the percentage of organic waste ending up in landfill. This doesn’t mean home composting disappears – but that it can be one of a range of tools at our disposal. Do you know what goes in the ‘FOGO’ bin? Here is a visual representation from the City of Bunbury website.