It is accepted that around only 40% of this is useful to your compost, the purpose of which is to enrich the soil with nutrients that not only strengthen your soil but makes for a far superior crop of your bushes, herbs, flowers, plants, trees etc.
Composting is the result of a natural organic process, which occurs when items that have 'living' bacteria in them are placed in a compost heap, pile or tub.
They are generated by using items of waste known as 'Greens' and 'Browns' many of which are listed below.
Greens are items with high nitrogen content like leaves, nettles and others, which are generally green in color whereas Browns have a high carbon content and are usually both dry and of a brown color.
Making your own compost is not difficult and combining a mixture of the two colors, ie the right ingredients, will aid the process needed to make a great product for your garden.
Your compost will be ready to use when you find that it has turned to a dark color, slightly moist and crumbly in places with a sort of sweet smell to it.
This is achieved by turning the material once a week to add air to your pile.
Greens Old Flowers, Nettles, Tea Bags, Old Bedding Plants, Fruit Scraps, Vegetable Peelings, Salad Leaves, Rhubarb Leaves, Eggshells, Vegetable & fruit wastes, Coffee grounds, Coffee filters, Grass cuttings or clippings (Not if chemically treated), Seaweed (You should remove excess salt), Soft green pruning, Weeds (without weed seeds).
Animal manure such as chicken, goat, horse, pig, rabbit etc.
(This list is not extensive but a guide to help you on your way.
) Browns Bark, Bedding, if used by vegetarian pets such as guinea pigs and rabbits, Bracken, branches, cereal packets, cornstalks, egg boxes.
Fallen Leaves, Hay & straw, Old bedding plants, Pine needles, Shredded cardboard, tubes, mail, newspaper and Paper plates, Sawdust, sticks, twigs, Tough hedge clippings, wood shavings.
(This list is not extensive but a guide to help you on your way.
) There is one other category you MUST be aware of if you are to be successful in your endeavours.
Do NOT use any of the following on your compost: Aerosol cans, Animal Fats, Ashes from coal or charcoal, Bones, Bread Products, Cat Litter, Cigarette Butts, Cleaning Chemicals, Cling film, Colored paper or magazines, Crisp Packets, Dairy Products, Lime, Medicine, Pizza Boxes, Plastic, synthetic pesticides.
Weed Killers.
*Bread *Dog Food *Fish Scraps *Meat/Scraps *Olive Oil (* Using these in compost can bring into your garden, unwanted vermin.
) Again, this list is not extensive but a guide to help you on your way.
Unfortunately when you add to your compost items that are deemed to be inorganic or man-made such as those listed above they will mess up the natural process of composting by killing the microorganisms that make the process of composting work.
So be warned; only use Green and Brown items.