1. Creating the base
Place the home composter in an area outside your home, on earth, and preferably in the shade.
At the bottom of the composter place thick branches to allow aeration and prevent compaction.
Add a 5-10 cm layer of brown waste.
Add no more than a handful of soil or ready-made compost. This amount will contain enough microorganisms to start the composting process.
2. Creating the layers
Add a layer of green waste.
Cover the green waste with brown waste.
Repeat this process until the composter is full.
The various layers can be added all at once or as biowaste becomes available.
Ensure that the last layer is always brown waste, to reduce odour issues, and the proliferation of insects and other unwanted animals.
3. Watering and turning
Whenever you add new layers, turn over and water the biowaste in your composter.
Perform the sponge test to see if the compost pile has enough water: grab a portion of the composting material with your hand and squeeze it out. If liquid comes out, add more brown waste and turn the layers over because the pile is too humid. If your hand remains dry, add green waste, water, and turn the materials over. If the hand gets wet, the composter has the ideal amount of water.
4. Removing the compost and cleaning the composter
The duration of the process depends on the amount of bio-waste used, but it is expected that compost will be ready in about four to six months.
Compost has a dark-brown, earth-like appearance, and has no odour. It should be taken from the composter when it is ready. The composter must then be cleaned before starting a new composting cycle.
5. Using the compost produced
Compost can be applied to the soil in different ways: in a hole (next to the stem), as a cover (spread over the earth) or in lines (indicated for forest crops).
Applying compost as a cover is the most suitable for vegetable gardens and flower gardens. In these cases, you should spread the compost over the soil, and, with the help of gardening tools, make random strokes to allow it to be incorporated into the soil more easily. The soil should not be turned over to incorporate the compost, so as not to interfere with its normal structure.
In vegetable gardens and flower gardens you can apply about 5 to 6 kg of compost per square meter. In flowerpots apply half soil and half compost.
If the soils are very clayey or compact, apply a third of earth, a third of sand, and a third of compost, in order to help decompactify the soil and facilitate aeration.
1. Segregating bio-waste at home
Place the green and brown waste that you don’t use at home in the container provided to you.
2. Placing the bio-waste in the community composter
Take the container to the community composter, open it with the key given to you, and place your green and brown waste in the composter.
3. Requesting the compost produced
Request from the Town Council, free of charge, the compost produced in your area of residence.
4. Using the compost produced
Compost can be applied to the soil in different ways: in a hole (next to the stem), as a cover (spread over the earth) or in lines (indicated for forest crops).
Applying compost as a cover is the most suitable for vegetable gardens and flower gardens. In these cases, you should spread the compost over the soil and, with the help of gardening tools, make random strokes to allow it to be incorporated into the soil more easily. The soil should not be turned over to incorporate the compost, so as not to interfere with its normal structure.
In vegetable gardens and flower gardens you can apply about 5 to 6 kg of compost per square meter. In flowerpots apply half soil and half compost.
If the soils are very clayey or compact, apply a third of earth, a third of sand, and a third of compost, in order to help decompactify the soil and facilitate aeration.
Despite being a very simple process, it is important to regularly monitor the composter and pay attention to some aspects that influence composting:
Despite it being a simple process, it is normal that some problems may arise in home composting, and it is essential to understand the causes and act immediately.
| ISSUES | LIKELY CAUSES | SOLUTIONS |
| Ammonia-like smell (like a mixture of rancid butter and vinegar) | - Excessive green waste (nitrogen) | - Add brown waste |
| - Lack of oxygen | - Turn the pile over and avoid adding very small pieces of biowaste, which tends to compact | |
| Sulphur-like smell (like rotten eggs) | - Excess moisture | - Turn the pile over and add dry materials or brown waste such as straw, sawdust or wood chips |
| Very wet compost pile | - Excess water | - Turn the pile over and add dry materials or brown waste such as straw, sawdust or wood chips |
| - Lack of oxygen | - Place a layer of dry branches at the base of the composter and turn the pile for air to circulate. | |
| - Poor drainage | - Move the composter to a location where water can easily drain | |
| Very high temperature | - Pile too large (too much bio-waste in the composter) | - Decrease the amount of bio-waste, by removing part of it |
| - Insufficient ventilation or humidity | - Turn the pile and water the composter |
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| - Insufficient amount of green waste | - Add green waste and turn the pile | |
| Very low temperature | - The pile is too small (insufficient amount of bio-waste in the composter) | - Add layers of green and brown waste, and temporarily place the composter in the sun |
| - Biowaste pieces are too large | - Break the materials into smaller pieces and mix them with some soil or compost |
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| - Insufficient amount of green waste | - Add green waste | |
| - The pile is too dry (insufficient moisture) | - Perform the sponge test and add water if necessary when turning over the pile |
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| - Insufficient aeration | - Turn the pile regularly | |
| Very slow composting | - Excess brown waste | - Add green waste and water |
| - Biowaste pieces are too large | - Break the materials into smaller pieces and mix them with some soil or compost | |
| Unwanted visitors (flies, mice, etc.) | - The pile has leftover cooked food with fat, meat, fish, bones, fish bones, dairy products or other similar waste | - Remove this waste and cover the pile with a layer of soil, leaves or sawdust. You can also turn the materials over to increase the temperature. The presence of ants means the compost is too dry, so add water when turning the pile |
| - The green waste is not well covered | - Cover the pile with brown waste, compost or plastic, and place mouse traps in the immediate vicinity of the composter | |
| - Existence of fly larvae | - Turn the compost to raise the temperature |
