by Elsie Parker

Created on: May 07, 2008

OK everyone, here's the thing. We only have a short time to save the earth. This is a big thing and sometimes the small people can feel helpless when faced with such a huge event, but small people can do small things that all add up to make one big difference. One small thing we can do is to compost at home. This has the effect that it reduces the waste sent to landfill sites, reduces the transport costs of transporting all the waste and makes your garden more productive without having to purchase compost from garden suppliers.

First off you don't need to buy expensive containers, you can just make a heap of compostable materials in a corner of your garden and cover it with polythene or old carpet. If you want to neaten it up, you can make sides for the heap out of wood, you just need to site the heap on soil or turf to allow the munchers, crunchers and wrigglies access to the waste so they can eat it and help break it down. It also helps if the heap is out of excessive sunlight and sheltered from the wind so that it doesn't dry out too quickly. Custom made plastic bins are on sale everywhere now, you can get some cheap bins made out of recycled plastic from local authorities or recycling websites. Super deluxe models are coming out now, bins on rockers or tumblers so you can turn and mix the waste material without all the digging out and turning that you would otherwise do. All fine examples, you just pick what suits your lifestyle and your wallet.

Now for starting your journey into composting. You may have thought all you do is chuck the stuff in and wait for a while, but if you want to produce really good results there are a few guidelines you can follow. Think about the type of waste you put into your bin. Grass clippings come to mind almost immediately, but if your heap is made out of this alone it is likely to turn into an unattractive slimy mess. Your compost heap needs structure. You should try to have a mix of green and brown materials in your heap so that your finished product is dark brown and crumbly, smelling of earth.

Green materials contain nitrogen, break down quickly and help to keep the compost moist. These can be old cut flowers, vegetable peelings, tea leaves/bags, coffee grounds, young annual weeds (not the roots of perennial weeds or weed seeds as they will spread around your garden in your new compost).

Brown materials contain carbon (doesn't science get in everywhere?) These break down more slowly and create air pockets. These materials

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