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Q&A: What can I do with my compost over winter?

Tuesday, 28 December 2010 2:10 PM

Q: "We have a compost bin and it is getting fairly full, but with the onset of the cold weather its contents aren't decomposing. Is there anything I can do over winter to assist the process?"
Natasha, London

A: "My advice would be to initiate some sort of incubation practice on the bin, ideally wrapping the exterior with an old carpet or something similar. I would also advise that you harvest the material at the base of the bin as soon as is reasonably practical. Additionally, shredding the material before you add it to the bin will reduce particle size thus allowing more material to be included - but please avoid compaction as airflow in the material is important.

"Try to add materials with a higher starch and/or nitrogen content as they will break down quicker and so facilitate the process. Materials such as lignin (woody materials) would not be advisable until the weather improves.

"I understand the difficulties with home composting when the temperature is sub-zero but unfortunately there are no quick and easy or chemical solutions for this issue. Based on the ‘Waste Hierarchy’ I would advocate the adoption of top tier designations (reduce and reuse) for the cold winter months."

Answered by David Tozer, technical officer at the Association for Organics Recycling.
 

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