Home Composting: Guide to Compost Bins

Compost Bins There are a number of ways to produce compost and there is a method available to suit all lifestyles. The best method for you will depend on what you want to compost – whether you want to compost only food waste, only garden waste or both and whether you have a garden which produces large volumes of garden waste. There are four main ways you can make compost. You can use this page to compare the different methods of home composting depending on what you want to compost, and follow the links for more information. If you would like to view the 'Composting at Home How To Guide' please click here Standard Compost Bin Standard compost bins allow you to compost a mixture of kitchen and garden waste. You can compost the following in a standard compost bin: YES NO Fruit and vegetables Shredded cardboard and paper Tea leaves Coffee grounds Cut flowers Bedding from pet cages Egg shells House plants Feathers Garden waste Cooked food Raw meat and fish Nappies, glass, plastic or metal Cat or dog litter Coke or coal ash Diseased plants More Information Food digester (Green Cone) Food digesters (of which one type is Green Cone) break down food waste into a nutrient rich liquid that seeps into the soil in your garden You can put the following in a Green Cone: YES NO Fruit and vegetables Tea leaves Coffee grounds Cooked food Egg shells Raw meat and fish Bedding from pet cages Cat or dog litter Cut flowers Diseased plants Feathers House plants Nappies, glass, plastic or metal Shredded cardboard and paper More Information Green Johanna Green Johannas are similar in operation to a standard compost bin but are designed to allow you to compost meat, fish and cooked food as well. You can compost the following in a Green Johanna: YES NO Bedding from pet cages Coffee grounds Cooked food Cut flowers Egg shells Feathers Fruit and vegetables Garden waste House plants Raw meat and fish Shredded cardboard and paper Tea leaves Cat or dog litter Coke or coal ash Diseased plants Nappies, glass, plastic or metal More Information Composting with worms Composting with worms (which is often called vermi-composting) is useful if you want to compost vegetable kitchen waste (excluding meat and fish). You can compost the following in a wormery: YES NO Coffee grounds Cooked vegetables Fruit and vegetables Shredded paper and cardboard (in very small amounts) Tea leaves Bedding from pet cages Cat or dog litter Cut flowers Coke or coal ash Diseased plants Feathers House plants Nappies, glass, plastic or metal Raw meat and fish More Information