Lets get the WHY SHOULD I COMPOST question out of the way first. As you should know by now, binning household food waste and garden scraps unnecessarily adds greenhouse gasses to our atmosphere. Biodegradable matter in a landfill situation produces Methane due to the lack of oxygen. Methane is estimated to have more than 20-times the climate change effect of carbon dioxide. Composting greatly reduces the production of methane because more oxygen is available to the decomposition process

• Reduces the amount of waste you dispose of.                                                                                                                                                   
• It saves natural resources (water and organic matter).                                                                                                                 
• It’s good for the soil in your garden.
• Reduces the need for artificial and oil based fertilizers.                                                                                                                                           
• It’s natural.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
• It’s Free                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Here are a few simple DIY options:

• A wire mesh bin with a hinged front panel.
• A three-sided brick block bin. An open front will allow you to turn the pile and remove the finished compost.
• A cylinder made from chicken wire that can be opened up to collect the finished compost.
• A wooden structure with a lid. Make sure spaces are left for ventilation.
• 2 barrels or garbage bins with holes in the sides and the bottoms removed. Once one unit is full, it can be left to compost while you fill the other.
• Used tires, piled on top of each other to form a “barrel”

Your Compost structure should be placed in a well-drained area away from streams or storm water runoff areas. The easier it is to get to from your kitchen, the more likely you will keep using it.

Don’t Panic!!!!!!!!!!!!

DON’T PANIC. Its not a fly maggot. It is a black soldier fly larvae. These guys are fantastic and I can’t believe they aren’t used or applied more regularly like the humble worm. Black soldier fly larvae, or BSF larvae for us lazy typers, will keep fly maggots from entering your system and will help to speed up the system even more than worms. In Australia they will turn up naturally. As an added bonus, they will actually reduce the fly population in your area, and the adult form generally doesn’t go indoors. Now, if you are still worried about breeding bugs then the following may help…

The adults do not have functional mouth parts, they do not eat waste, they do not regurgitate on human food, and therefore, they are not associated in any way with the transmission of disease. Adults do not bite, bother or actively pester humans in any way.

Happy Composting

James and eco-shop team